Police officers with questionable credentials openly protecting bovine smugglers; obtaining forcible “Commission” from those involved in illegal mining 

Police officers with questionable credentials openly protecting bovine smugglers; obtaining forcible “Commission” from those involved in illegal mining

SALIL RAINA

(POONCH TODAY NEWS)

POONCH/RAJOURI/JAMMU: A few senior and junior police officers in charge of two different sensitive police jurisdictions are said to have openly protected bovine smugglers.

They are charging different rates from truckers and tempo walas involved in bovine smuggling and have even directed various nakas to collect money from bovine smugglers and give it to them. One SHO in the area is working against bovine smuggling and the mining mafia, but his immediate supervisor is ignoring him, while another SHO in a nearby jurisdiction is following in the footsteps of his immediate superior. In one area where the SHO is working against bovine smuggling, his senior officer used to guide bovine smugglers to adopt different ways to smuggle their animals, even through difficult terrain, to avoid the wrath of the concerned SHO. “POONCH TODAY” is in possession of solid proof that shows how bovine smuggling has become a routine activity in the area with the full support of a few senior and junior police officers. The “Jugalbandhi” of police officers with the bovine smugglers and illegal mining mafia has become the talk of the areas concerned. Although the junior police officer in one jurisdiction is trying his best to control the menace, his senior is playing the wrong role and allowing bovine smugglers to operate without any fear. To show their top bosses, these police officers in question, through some fake fourth estate platforms, of some “Munnabhai MBBS” type reporters, used to run news items that they were working against bovine smuggling and other crimes regularly, but in reality, this exercise was only an attempt to hoodwink the public and their immediate bosses. Behind the scenes, these police officers are openly shielding bovine smugglers and mining mafia. Moreover, those JCB operators, tractor operators, and other vehicles involved in regular mining business used to pay commission to one of the strong police officers who enforced that too forcefully, and those who failed to do that got trapped by police with the help of the mining department. A JCB operator, pleading anonymity, told “POONCH TODAY” that the said police officer  heading a jurisdiction known for massive bovine smuggling, used to play smart moves in earning money. Everyone in the mining industry used to give him shares on a regular basis, and those who didn’t were quickly trapped. The matter has already reached the top brass of the police department about the officers’ wrong intentions for their involvement in bovine smuggling and illegal mining trade, but the top brass is reportedly eager to shift them and is in the process of finding suitable officers to replace them. Even the district police chief has failed to take action against the erring police officers who have made a mockery of the system in a smart way. Due to the unprofessional acts of a few police officers, the reputation of the district police chief has fallen sharply Earlier, a low-ranking police official who was deputed in the said area known for bovine smuggling for years, was the main player in collecting money from bovine smugglers for onward distribution among seniors, and the same official also used to guide senior officers about various other income sources, but now the senior officer is seen taking control of everything, bypassing others. Even the top civil officer of the area, who was transferred recently, was fully aware of the acts of the said police officer, but insiders told “POONCH TODAY” that both the police and the top civil officer of the area had formed good relations and both were supporting each other, because the top civil officer was running high-profile businesses in the same area, with fraudulent means through blood relatives. It’s a complete case of corruption in an area known for massive bovine smuggling.  It is important to mention here that in any district, police stations are the face and reputation of district and range police chiefs, and by not placing the right officers at police station level, top officers were seen as inviting trouble for themselves because wrong acts of their subordinates lower the reputation of district and range police chiefs in the eyes of the common man.  People have played a big role in the elimination of militancy by cooperating with the police, agencies, and other security forces, but if unprofessional police officers start harassing people through different means for their petty interests, then it will send a wrong signal for the future from a law and order point of view, and such officers who are known for misadventures need not be placed at important places in the interest of better police-public relations and for the reputation of J&K police. A high level inquiry is needed against those officers, who have almost legalised bovine smuggling with their full support in addition to getting regular income from other sources, including the mining mafia.