Image Courtesy:government.economictimes.indiatimes.com
Controversy has broken out over the premature retirement orders given to three IPS officers in Uttar Pradesh. The most buzz has been created around the premature retirement orders being given to Inspector General Amitabh Thakur, who was currently posted as the Joint Director Civil Defence. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) ordered immediate voluntary retirement of 1992 batch-IPS officer Amitabh Thakur, reported Zee news.
The announcement was made by the Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday March 23, and a notice was issued to the IPS officer by the Uttar Pradesh Home Department. It said that Thakur was “not suitable” to continue his services as a public servant.
Thakur, an officer of the 1992 batch who was to retire in June 2028 had on Tuesday announced that he had been retired, and shared a copy of the orders issued by the government. He posted: “I received my retirement orders. The government does not need my service, Jai Hind.”
“अमिताभ ठाकुर को लोकहित में सेवा में बनाये रखे जाने के उपयुक्त न पाते हुए लोकहित में तात्कालिक प्रभाव से सेवा पूर्ण होने से पूर्व सेवानिवृत किये जाने का निर्णय लिया गया है.” pic.twitter.com/nkPFTBIuvk
— AmitabhThakur (@Amitabhthakur) March 23, 2021
According to news reports, the other two were a 2002-batch DIG and an SP of the 2005 batch, reportedly promoted IPS officers who were to retire in June 2023 and April 2024. It is being stated that Thakur has been at loggerheads with the state government. Two other officers have also been prematurely retired, UP Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Kumar Awasthi said. These two had been promoted to the IPS from the Provincial Police Service. According to reports, there are several cases lodged against the officers.
Amitabh Thakur was suspended on July 13, 2015, soon after he had accused the then Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav of “threatening him” and made public an audio recording, in which he claimed was “proof” that the SP leader had allegedly threatened him. The state government had initiated a Vigilance inquiry against Thakur. It was reported that later, the Lucknow bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal stayed Thakur’s suspension, and ordered that he be reinstated from October 11, 2015.
Awanish Kumar Awasthi had reportedly said that “the Union government in its order dated March 17 found 1992-batch IPS officer Amitabh Thakur unfit to remain in service and in public interest decided to give him retirement with immediate effect before completing his service tenure.” It has been reported that Thakur has had “run-ins both with the current BJP and previous Samajwadi Party governments.” According to a report in The Hindu, Amitabh Thakur had written twice to the Union Home Ministry in 2016, seeking a change in his cadre. He had alleged that UP government officials were treating him as a “sworn enemy” and cited that there was “a threat to his life”. He had asked that he be shifted out of the state, however his request was turned down by the Centre in January 2017.
After he was given retirement orders, Thakur shared a letter he had written to the government on the concept of “Forced Retirement” in December 2019 and said it was “ironically very relevant today.”
“जबरिया सेवानिवृति” के संबंध में 04 दिसंबर 2019 को सरकार को लिखे मेरे पत्र के कुछ अंश आज अत्यंत प्रासंगिक दिख रहे हैं. pic.twitter.com/Cr99p1WuRr
— AmitabhThakur (@Amitabhthakur) March 24, 2021
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