Staff shortage hits ACB hard in Mysuru

 At a time when there is a hue and cry over the formation of Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in the State, the ACB police station in Mysuru still lacks full strength to play an effective role as a special wing.

Reason: The delay in relieving five of the total seven police constables transferred to the wing, even after 19 days of their new posting, as announced from the office of the director general and inspector general (DG and IG) of police, Bengaluru.

Sources told DH, the ACB, which recently opened its office on Mysuru-Bengaluru Road was sanctioned with 18 posts from top cadre to lower rung. It includes one SP, a DySP, two inspectors, two first divisional assistants, two typists and two dalayats (‘D’ group workers) and one second division assistant (SDA).

Barring SP, DySP, an inspector and a woman police constable, the staffers are yet to assume charge. On April 30, the office of DG and IG effected the transfer of 128 police personnel in the cadres of head constable and constable in the State, posting them to the ACB. In Mysuru, five men from the city police (working in different police stations), including two head constables and two from district police that included a woman constable were transferred to the ACB. While two from the district were immediately relieved, the remaining five — belonging to city force — are still awaiting their relieve order. Meanwhile, one of the two personnel (a police head constable) relieved from the district was reluctant to accept his new posting and was hence retained in his current place of service (at T Narsipura). The woman constable reported to duty at ACB and is the lone ‘men’ (general parlance used to refer to police force irrespective of gender) in the lower rung to work since then.

What assumes significance here is, only those who have completed five years of service in the police department are posted to special wings.

With mounting expectations and skeletal staff, who form the backbone of any office, the ACB is yet to register first information reports (FIR) for 19 complaints received so far. Apart from filing FIRs, the constabulary is tasked with assisting investigation officers (IOs), court duty and allied work.

When contacted, Police Commissioner B Dayanand assured to look into the matter, once he receives the particular file.