Maha CM Devendra Fadnavis responds to killing of Beed sarpanch

Maha CM Devendra Fadnavis responds
to killing of Beed sarpanch

The Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, amidst responding to the Opposition in the recently concluded winter session of the Assembly over the killing of Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, explained that the probe will be transferred to the CID and an Inspector General (IG)-rank officer would conduct the probe.

There was, however, one problem that while the Pune headquartered state CID does have posts for three special IG-rank officers, only an IG (Economic Offences Wing) is actually posted there. The two main IG posts for east and west regions are vacant. Eventually, the state Home department had to make a Deputy Inspector General (DIG)-rank officer the SIT head.

Though one junior rank post may not make much of a difference, it is an indicator of how the state CID, formed by the British more than a century back especially to investigate complex crimes and gather political intelligence, has over the years been neglected by successive governments with many in the administration seeing it as a ‘side posting’ non-executive posting where, in some cases, officers are sent to ‘cool their heels’ if the administration is unhappy with them.

In November 2023, Tushar Doshi, Superintendent of Police in Jalna, was transferred mid-term for the lathi-charge at Antarwali Sarathi village on protestors led by Manoj Jarange Patil demanding Maratha reservation in September last year, which led to a big political issue in Maharashtra.

The government issued an order transferring him to the CID. However, after protesters conveyed to the government that they felt Doshi had been ‘rewarded’, the transfer was revoked and he was sent to railways.

Another officer against whom an inquiry was ongoing was transferred to the CID.
A former head of the CID said while major changes have been made within the agency, it is true that due to the lack of importance given by successive governments, not many senior officers want to serve in the agency.

There are many officers who don’t want to leave Maharashtra. In Mumbai interaction with the public is more unlike other places.
in Mumbai. Hence, eventually a few of these posts are filled by officers who are transferred mid-term or whom the government wants to relegate to a side posting.
Another officer, who has worked in the CID, said, “There is government apathy towards the unit. Till nearly a decade back, ‘condemned vehicles’ — having run nearly 50,000 km — used by other police units were given to the CID on the rationale that they did not have to do bandobast duty or patrolling so they could make do with these vehicles.”
He added, “When he joined the force, he didn’t even get a vehicle, while his colleagues in the same rank in other units had their own vehicles and bungalows. So, you realise that this unit is not given its due importance and feel inferior as the same facility is not given.”
“Also when he joined, people asked him if he. had rubbed the government the wrong way as he had ended up there. People think that if you have been transferred there, it is either the administration does not like you or you have made some blunder in the field
The third category is honest officers who do not go around meeting leaders to do their bidding and end up there. Hence, things can be demotivating.

In their time, they had a good ADGP, however, who tried to keep everyone motivated and also ensured we no longer got condemned vehicles. The person who leads the unit has a major influence on it,” he added.
An officer said that usually when there is suspicion that the local police is not neutral, the case is transferred to the CID for neutrality or if there are allegations against the local police. Further, cold cases that police units cannot solve are also sent there along with cases of custodial deaths. Further, cases seemed sensitive by the government or the courts like the Beed sarpanch murder case are transferred to the CID.
“However, the truth is that local police units like the crime branch are better equipped to deal with these cases as they have better resources along with local intelligence. However, since there is a general perception among people that a case being transferred to the CID means it will get solved — on the lines of a CBI probe — these cases are moved there,” the official said.
History of CID
The CID was formed in the early 1900 based on the recommendations of the Indian Police Commission under the leadership of Andrew Fraiser. The Commission observed that since local police were only concerned by crimes taking under their jurisdiction and transport allowing criminals to change locations, there was a need for a “Provincial Criminal Investigation Department” under an Inspector General.
The initial scope of the agency was to “pay systematic attention to professional offenders” and “secure regular information of the working of organised gangs” and provide intelligence to various districts. The body was also responsible for gathering political intelligence.
However, later the CID was split and political intelligence gathering became a separate unit (State Intelligence Department) while Commissionerates like Mumbai had their own crime branch called CB–CID.
Over a period of time with local crime branch units becoming well-equipped to deal with crimes and political intelligence being taken away, the CID lost some of its sheen even though several sensitive probes were handed over to them. The CID, however, is the nodal agency for National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) and maintains records of state crime data called State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB). The unit also has technical wings like fingerprint bureau and handwriting analysis among others that are relied on by police across the state.
Over the past few years, the department has also earned the ire of the judiciary, which has expressed unhappiness over their probe. Last month, the Bombay High Court admonished Maharashtra CID for allegedly taking the investigation into the “encounter” killing of the main accused in the Badlapur school sexual assault case lightly.
Even in the 2003 Khwaja Yunus custodial death case being probed by the CID, the Bombay HC in January 2021 had come down heavily on the agency for the delay and said it was a mockery of justice and no heed was given to its suggestions.
Police historian Deepak Rao said, “Even in the earlier decades when some important cases were transferred to the CID, at times officers from the Mumbai crime branch and senior officers were sent there to assist the CID as they do not have local context of a crime as much as the local police does.

News Edit KV Raman