Cop organises puja to check crime, suspended

A senior police officer who organised religious ceremonies to pray god to bring down the rising crime graph in his area has been suspended.

The police officer had organised a special “puja” and “havan” (a ritual by fire) inside Chakeri police station in Uttar Pradesh’s industrial town of Kanpur, about 90 km from here, hoping crime rate, especially the crimes against the women, would come down.

Chakeri police station in-charge S P Dubey was apparently concerned over the rise in the number of crimes in his area and performed the ritual on Saturday night in which the entire staff of the police station took part, according to reports.

Reports said the ceremonies continued for several hours and a large number of people, who had gone to the police station to register complaints, had to wait for a long time as there was no one to accept their applications.

Many people returned home without getting their complaints registered, reports said. A local corporator, too, had to wait for several hours to meet the station in-charge.
 
‘Police station like home’

“People organise special pujas at their homes so that the gods may bless them and they may live comfortably. The police station is also like a home. The ‘havan’ here will make sure that peace prevails in the town,” said a constable at the police station, who participated at the ritual.

The results of the prayer apart, the station house officer was suspended by senior officials for his “failure to check the spiraling crime”.

The gods, obviously, did not come to his help.

The Akhilesh Yadav regime has come under all-round attack from different quarters for its alleged failure on the law and order front.

The incidents of crimes against women have risen sharply since the Samajwadi Party formed government in the state.