With a recent reshuffle in the top police ladder, K Rajendra Kumar was elevated to a Special Director General for Coordination at the Police Headquarters. An IPS officer of 1984 J&K batch, Kumar has served the state in various capacities including the post of Inspector General of Kashmir division.
He was looking after the prisons division before his latest appointment. Earlier he served as Doda SP, Srinagar SSP, Srinagar DIG, Kashmir IGP, IGP Headquarters (PHQ), IGP CID, IGP Jammu, ADGP CID and ADGP armed and law and order.
Well before Kumar assumed his new office, his appointment created a raucous of sorts. It was President of Awami Ittihad Party and MLA Langate, Engineer Rashid who accused the ruling National Conference (NC) of appointing Kumar for “political gains ahead of parliamentary and assembly elections”.
National Conference has its own interest in it, Rashid said, as this party want to rig the polls and for this purpose they have cleared all the hurdles for K Rajendra.
Soon NC termed Rashid as a “non-serious politician”. It was Tanvir Sadiq, political advisor to chief minister Omar Abdullah who was countering MLA Langate. Sadiq said that Kumar is the senior most police officer who has proved his worth from time to time. As per political adviser of Omar Abdullah, Kumar is a force to reckon with and without any doubt he deserves the top position.
But Sadiq wasn’t lone NC man who was justifying Kumar’s appointment. The ‘firebrand’ NC legislator, Dr Shiekh Mustafa Kamal said that Kumar’s appointment is administrative decision and government takes every decision after taking different components into consideration.
Besides seniority, suitability and merit also mattered, Kamal said, Rashid must understand that NC is the people’s voice which doesn’t require the assistance from police or any other agency.
And soon, PDP Spokesperson Naeem Akhtar was heard saying that the Rashid’s accusations reflect the credibility crisis faced by the state coalition between National Conference and Congress because they had set a bad record in 1987 by resorting to rigging.
It is not about the officers, Akhtar continued, the same officers conducted elections and no fingers were raised. But, he says, the apprehensions about the present government and its tactics are understandable “because of the way they have destroyed institutions, misused the administration and tampered with procedures.”
During his service, Kumar was hit by a bullet in his leg fired by militants during a political rally. But a recipient of array of awards, Kumar has indeed created a buzz with his latest appointment.
– Bilal Handoo
