New Delhi: Eight policemen, including officers of inspector and sub-inspector rank, were suspended on charges of dereliction of duty after Delhi Police commissioner SBK Singh carried out a surprise inspection of the premises of the ISKCON Temple on Saturday.
Thousands of devotees were to gather at the temple for Janmashtami and a large number of policemen were deployed to provide security. According to officials, twenty more officers are under the scanner. They were also not at their posts when the commissioner arrived, but managed to reach as they were nearby.
“The commissioner attended a meeting in the Outer North District on Saturday afternoon. After the meeting, he decided to pay a visit to the ISKCON Temple that is in the same district. He planned to check on the preparedness for the crowds that would gather later in the evening. Instead of entering through the VIP Gate, the commissioner got in through another one and found fewer number of policemen at the premises. On inquiry, he was told that some had not turned up,” an official said.
Singh immediately ordered the suspension of the policemen who were absent from their posts. Among those punished is an inspector from the Shahbad Dairy police station.
There is high alert across the capital for the last several days. In the past action has been taken against police personnel for their inability to detect a ‘fake bomb’ during a drill at the Red Fort ahead of the Independence Day celebrations.
