Transfer of Satyapal Singh demanded

Members of the legislative council, on Wednesday, once again demanded the transfer of Pune police commissioner Dr Satyapal Singh. Congress’s Hussain Dalwai was the first to raise the demand of Singh’s transfer.

However, minister of state for home, Ramesh Bagwe, who had announced three months ago that Singh would be transferred, only said that he had made his view known to the house and did not want to comment further.

Congress’s Ashok Jagtap and Mohan Joshi moved a calling attention motion to the deteriorating law and order situation in Pune. They said the police force available in Pune city was too small considering the population and size of the city.

Congress’s Deepti Choudhary and Shiv Sena’s Neelam Gorhe also said that there are only 8,000 policemen in the Pune police department.

In reply, Bagwe informed that the manpower in the state police force was going to be increased by 11,000, of which 3,000 policemen would be increased in Pune police.

At this point, Dalwai raised the issue of Singh’s transfer. He questioned as to why Singh could not be transferred for not solving the German Bakery blast case while Hasan Gafoor was transferred after the Mumbai terror attack.

During the budget session in April, Bagwe had announced in the legislative council that Singh would be replaced by a ‘more efficient officer’. However, his announcement was not implemented. Members of the Sena and BJP asked Bagwe to declare the name of the person trying to protect Singh, but the minister chose to maintain silence on the issue.