CM fires security staff

Early Times Report

SRINAGAR, Sep 30: According to highly placed authoritative sources, immediately after learning about huge transactions by his party workers and their free access to his office and residence---some insist they were also partners----Chief Minister Omar Abdullah ordered shifting of at least four of his closes security officers.

SSG’s Sub Inspector SP Singh, who is actually a radio operator from Police Telecommunications, was the first to be fired in the afternoon on Thursday. Even his replacement was not sought immediately.

Later in the evening on Thursday, over CM’s express directions, Director General of Police Kuldeep Khoda ordered transfer of CM’s high profile PSO, Dy SP Shabir Ahmad, who was removed from SSG and appointed as Dy SP headquarters in Kulgam in place of Amarjit Singh. Singh replaced Amanat Ali Shah as Staff Officer to DIG Udhampur Riasi who was transferred and appointed as Dy Commandant in IRP 1^st battalion.

Another of Dy SP from SSG, Nasir Ahmad Zari, was shifted from CM’s Security and appointed as Staff Officer to DIG Udhampur Riasi.

Shabir Ahmad had remained attached to Mr Omar Abdullah as his PSO ever since he joined active politics and contested his first Lok Sabha election in 1998. In 2009, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah elevated Shabir from the post of Inspector to gazetted service as Dy SP. The controversial out-of-turn promotion, in which Shabir superseded over a hundred of his senior colleagues, raised eyebrows in Police Department.

Sources said that another reshuffle in SSG was well on cards.

END