T R Suresh takes charge as city police chief

Outgoing City Police Commissioner Vipul Kumar said that the people in Mangaluru are peace-loving.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, he said it is unfortunate that Mangaluru has the tag of a communally sensitive city and urged the people not to let stray communal incidents come in the way of secular fabric of the district.

“Mangaluru police are capable of acting against anti-social elements who create a problem in the society,” he said and added that people are educated here. All the orders, issued by the city police commissioner are followed by the people, he added.

Stating that he was deputed to Mangaluru City Police Commissionerate only for Legislative Assembly election purpose, he said that he will be reinstated as the director of Karnataka Police Academy, Mysuru, where he was serving earlier.

To a query on sand mining, he said that the Department of Mines and Geology has imposed a ban on sand mining in the sand bars identified in CRZ area from June 12. “Illegal sand mining should be brought to the notice of the people,” he said.

Reacting to raids on illegal sand units, he said that a few persons had stored the sand illegally in the city police commissionerate jurisdiction and were attempting to sell it at higher rates.

“Whenever the issue was brought to our notice, we have conducted the raids and the sand was seized. As many as 15 such cases have been booked and sand has been handed over to the Department of Mines and Geology,” he stated.

The beat police should gather information on such illegalities and help in checking them. The beat system was introduced to instil confidence in the people, he added.

DCP (Law and order) Hanumantharaya, DCP (Crime) Uma Prashanth and others were present.

Meanwhile, T R Suresh was reinstated as the City Police Commissioner and he took charge from Vipul Kumar.