Of friction and power struggle between Collectors and SPs!

Jaipur: For the smooth working of government in the State, it is required that there is proper understanding and cooperation between the District Collector and Superintendent of Police (SP). And if the issue of law and order is concerned, then the duo must work in conjunction and support each other.

But during the recent idol issue in Bharatpur, immense friction was observed between the two. 2013 batch young IAS officer Alok Ranjan took over as the Bharatpur Collector on January 11, 2022 and after twenty days after his taking to the office, Shyam Singh (who was promoted from RPS to IPS in January 2020) was posted as SP Bharatpur. However, from the beginning, a ‘tussle’ started between the two top officials of the district. According to sources, the SP is not giving the ‘required importance’ to the Collector, even though according to protocol, Alok Ranjan is immensely senior to Shyam Singh.

Recently, when two groups clashed at Nadbai circle over installing the idol of Maharaja Surajmal and Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, the rift between Collector and SP could be seen easily. Although both of them went to the site of the incident on the night of April 12, but thereafter, in the meetings related to law and order, both were seen to be at the corresponding ends of the spectrum. Sources reveal that if they had been working together in the fashion of ‘ek aur ek gyarah’, the situation would not have become bad.

Similarly, when communal clashes occurred in Karauli last year, the situation became worse because Collector Rajendra Singh Shekhawat and SP Shailendra Singh Indoliya did not hold discussions with each other and both were novices when it came to handling such a dire situation as both Shekhawat and Indoliya were firsttime Collector and SP respectively. Sources reveal that if the duo had decided mutually on the line to work upon, the situation would not have become bad.

Clash between Collector and SP was witnessed in Bikaner as well when Namit Mehra was the Collector and Priti Chandra was SP. A major payment of one relative of SP Priti Chandra’s was stuck in UIT, but the Collector pointed to several shortfalls in the payment and sent the matter before the government. Since then, the relationship between Collector and SP soured.

When Piyush Samaria was serving as Dausa Collector and Manish Agrawal as SP, the duo couldn’t strike a chord. As a result, the Collector had to report of Manish’s activities to government. However, later Manish was arrested in a graft case and was lodged in jail for several days. When in January 2022, IPS Preeti was appointed as SP Chittorgarh, Tarachand Meena was serving as Collector. When Preeti started striking those involved in illegal activities, who had alleged protection of a local MLA, the understanding between Collector and SP soured as the Collector shared good relations with MLA.

After the recent incident in Bharatpur, it is said that Collector & SP can be changed. As such in current dispensation, half a dozen Collectors & 5 SPs have been changed in Bharatpur district.