Caste loyalties

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati is not fazed by the absence of a police chief in her state. Director general of police Karamvir Singh retired in August, and since then the charge of the nation’s second-largest police force has been held by director general of police R.K. Tewari.

But the actual reason for the vacuum at the top, sources say, is that the BSP leader is keen to ensure that the new DGP is of the same caste as hers — read, loyalist. That perhaps explains why despite there being several eligible and capable IPS officials, the chief minister has put the appointment on hold. Those in the know say that Ms Mayawati is keen to elevate special DGP Brij Lal to the coveted post. But since he will attain the required seniority by the month-end, Ms Mayawati has decided to wait until then.

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Upwardly mobile
It’s happening after nearly a decade so there’s understandable excitement among Punjab police personnel. Owing to the end of a decade-long litigation, at least 30 state service police officers can now hope to join the Indian Police Service grade, according to DGP P.S. Gill. The promotion had been pending due to a dispute between deputy superintendents of police who were recruited directly to the post and those who rose through the ranks. Seniority has always been a touchy subject in the state police, but the decision of the government should now pave the way for the promotion of many cops. Among those expected to be promoted to DIG rank are B.S. Sidhu, Munish Chawla, S.P.S. Parmar, Amar Singh Chahal and M.S. Cheena. Babu watchers expect at least 100 police officers in the state to move up the pecking order.

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Headless lic
Wary after the P.J. Thomas imbroglio, the government is understandably keen to avoid further embarrassments when it comes to high-level appointments. Certainly, it’s more circumspect on the pending issue of naming the new chairman of the state-owned Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), the nation’s biggest life insurer. Since May, when T.S. Vijayan was denied an extension after a full five-year term, LIC has had two interim chairmen — Rakesh Singh and D.K. Mehrotra — while the government goes through the selection process.
The reason for the delay in naming LIC’s new chairman, sources say, is that some of the contenders have not been cleared by the Central Vigilance Commission. The current dilemma is to postpone interviewing candidates who are awaiting CVC clearance and include fresh candidates, or interview all eligible candidates without waiting for CVC clearance. But the second option looks less attractive at the moment since it can be controversial.