UP DSP demoted to constable post over 'affair' with lady cop

Lucknow: An alleged affair with a lady constable cost an Uttar Pradesh deputy superintendent of police (DSP) dearly as he was demoted back to the post of constable from where he had been promoted as the DSP after passing departmental examinations.

Kripa Shankar Kanaujia, who had joined Uttar Pradesh police as a constable, had worked his way through hard work and successfully clearing the departmental examinations and was promoted head constable and then to inspector and finally a DSP a few years back.

Kanaujia, who currently held the charge of Bighapur in Unnao district as a circle officer (CO), had allegedly been caught in a compromising situation with a lady constable at a hotel in Kanpur in 2021 after which he was suspended and a departmental inquiry was launched in the matter.

The report found him guilty of violation of the police code of conduct and the government, taking cognisance of the report, demoted him back to constable. What came as an insult to Kanuajia's injury was that he was transferred to a PAC unit in Gorakhpur as a constable where he was earlier an inspector.

According to the sources, Kanaujia had applied for a day's casual leave in July 2021 citing some urgent family work. Instead of going home he allegedly went to Kanpur with the lady cop with whom he had been having an affair for the past few months.

Kanaujia's wife, in the meantime, called the superior police officials and told them her husband had not reached home and was incommunicado. A missing person report was lodged and a search was launched for Kanaujia. 

The police later traced the location of his cell phone to a hotel in Kanpur and suspecting that he might have been kidnapped, raided the hotel. Kanuajia was caught red handed with the lady at a room in the hotel.