Residents stage protest demanding inspector at police station

Hundreds of residents staged a protest in front of the Kempegowda Nagar police station in south Bengaluru on Sunday urging the government to post a police inspector to the station which has remained headless for over seven months now.

 The residents, who gathered at the police station, said the posts of inspector, a sub-inspector, two assistant sub-inspectors, seven head constables, 14 constables and two women police constables at the station were vacant and this had severely affected the routine policing in the crime-prone area.

“The handful of personnel are either deputed on bandobast duty or are on leave. There is no one to patrol the area. Hooligans are having a field day without any fear in the absence of patrolling,” the residents said.

An inpsector has not been posted to the station since August 2014 when the then inspector C D Nagaraj was suspended after a youth committed suicide following ‘police torture.’ Two inspectors who were posted to the station them did not assume charge and subsequently their posting orders were cancelled, the protesters claimed.

The residents submitted a memorandum to Lokesh Kumar, DCP (South). They said that the issue had been brought to the notice of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Home Minster K J George and other authorities concerned. When contacted, the Commissioner of Police M N Reddi, said: “The issue will be looked into and an inspector will be appointed at the earliest. The vacant posts at the station will be filled.”