The announcement of the name of the new Bengaluru Police Commissioner has left members of the minority community unhappy as they were rooting for M.A. Saleem, Special Commissioner for Traffic, until Tuesday, May 30, to be appointed to the post.
Around a week ago, a delegation comprising elected leaders, Ulemas (religious heads ) and community leaders met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at his residence and submitted a list of demands for the community, including making Mr. Saleem as Commissioner of Police. The delegation reasoned that 40 years ago, Nizamuddin was the only Muslim commissioner in the history of the city police and making Mr. Saleem as commissioner would be ideal as there will not be any Muslim officers in the near future to contend for the post.
The delegation also reminded him how Mr. Siddaramiah made Mr. Saleem the commissioner of Mysuru city when he was Chief Minister. The delegation said though Mr. Siddaramaiah’s reaction was positive, they were disappointed to see that Mr. Saleem was not made the commissioner when the order came on Tuesday.
The selection of Mr. Dayananda has also raised eyebrows as he served as the State Intelligence Chief for two Chief ministers in the BJP government.
Saleem writes thank you note for colleagues
Hours after getting promoted to head CID, M.A. Saleem thanked all his colleagues for the cooperation extended to him during his tenure as Special Commissioner, Traffic.
In an open letter to his colleagues, Mr. Saleem announced the change of his role and thanked traffic police personnel for their cooperation and diligence in maintaining traffic.
“I expect the same kind of cooperation, bonding, commitment and quality of services from you. I wish you all the best in your personal and professional life,” he said in his letter.
