Police officials working in the Idol Wing department met the Director General of Police T.K.Rajendran on Tuesday and presented a petition accusing special officer A.G. Ponn Manickavel of pressuring them to file cases without any evidence, and seeking transfer from their current position.
It may be recalled that Mr. Ponn Manickavel was appointed special officer by the Madras High Court to handle idol theft cases on his superannuation.
Unusual note
In this regard, the office of the DGP issued an unusual press release on Tuesday. It says, “On December 18, an Additional Superintendent of Police (ADSP), a Deputy Superintendent of Police(DSP), four Inspectors and six special Sub-Inspectors met the Director General of Police in person and gave a representation complaining about the special officer Ponn Manickavel I.P.S. “In the representations, they said the special officer forces them to book cases and investigate them contrary to law without relevant document or necessary evidence.
The officers who do not follow his instructions are being scolded and intimidated by the special officer. Hence, they gave the representation seeking transfers. Necessary action will be taken on their representations.”
The officers who submitted representations also gave an interview to media persons who were waiting outside the DGP office.
They said they were deputed from their parent departments for period of six months and they sought transfers since more than one-and-a-half years passed.
Meanwhile, the office of the special officer has written to the Commissioner of Police, Coimbatore, and Superintendents of Police stating that a few police personnel working in the rank of SSI, head constable, police constables with Idol Wing were being repatriated with instruction to report before their respective district unit heads on Monday.
They were also requested to detail suitable substitutes for these repatriated police personnel in a reasonable period of one week on deputation basis for six months.
