J&K police chief SP Vaid removed; Dilbagh Singh in

In the backdrop of rising militant activities and kidnapping of relatives of one dozen police personnel, Jammu and Kashmir government has removed state police chief Shesh Pal Vaid and assigned the charge to Dilbag Singh, a 1987 batch (IPS) officer.

Though all the kidnapped relatives of the police personnel were later released, the situation raised an alarm among the force leaving police top brass embarrassed. Earlier, this week the government led by Governor Satya Pal Malik, posted B Srinivas as state’s intelligence chief in place of Abdul Gani Mir.

According to an order issued by the Home department, Vaid’s services were placed at the disposal of the general administration department for his further posting as the transport commissioner. Vaid, an IPS officer of 1986 batch, was appointed as the Director General Police (DGP) by the previous PDP-BJP government in January 2017.

Dilbag Singh, the director general of Prisons, shall hold the charge of the post of DGP in addition to his own duties till a regular arrangement is made, the order issued late in the evening, read.

Singh, who started his career as additional superintend police in Kupwara district three decades ago, had a brush with controversy in 2000 when he suspended as the Deputy Inspector General of south Kashmir after he was allegedly found involved in a recruitment scam.

Earlier this year Singh was made the head of the prison department after the daring escape of a Pakistani militant Naveed Jatt from a Srinagar hospital in February. In the last six months, Singh is credited of streamlining many things, including the removal of hardened militants from Kashmir jails.

Sources said that the government of India, as well as advisor to the state government on security affairs K Vijay Kumar, were keen on effecting changes at the top police level.

“Vaid was already informed by the government that he will be replaced,” they disclosed.

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