SSP Shrestha was allegedly involved in an attempt to smuggle foreign currency through Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in complicity with smugglers on October 5 last.[break]
During a probe, Karki confessed that acting on direct orders from SSP Shrestha, he had helped Indian national Binod Kumar Soni smuggle foreign currency to Dubai. But Shrestha, who was suspended after being implicated by Karki, has been able in his latest statement to yet again deny his involvement.
This is one recent instance among many, and the question remains why junior-ranking police are always targeted in the main while their superiors face only flexible charges even if they are the prime suspects.
Police spokesperson DIG Keshav Adhikari has, however, countered this, saying, "We believe in evidence and the rule of law. There might be some confusion but it is wrong to allege that high ranking police officers are let off hastily.”
But a highly placed official at Police Headquarters said, “If we look into cases starting from the murder of media entrepreneur Jamim Shah to the recent case of extortion from two businessmen from Bauddha, most of the prime accused turn out to be low-ranking police rather than the higher ranks.
Sub-inspector Prakash Chhetri is serving a term at Central Jail for protecting the murderers while former DSP Jagadish Chand, one of the prime accused in the murder, was first ´told to run´ and later let go with a simple clarification.
Then chief at Metropolitan Police Range Office SP Ganesh KC and former Crime Division chief SSP Rana Bahadur Chand, both of whom came in for criticism following Shah´s murder, were not held to account as per the scope of their responsibilities.
Not only that, AIG Kalyan Timilsina, who was accused of anomalies, retired without facing any charges. Then DSP Sahakul Thapa was later promoted to SP although he had protected UML-affiliated leader Parshuram Basnet, the mastermind behind a grevious attack on a journalist. But a sub-inspector involved in the investigation was later sacked under political pressure.
Similarly, while a low-ranking cop was charged with negligence, then jailor Kshetra Bahadur Bhandari of Central Jail faced no such charge although it was on his watch that Indian contract killer Jasjeet Singh, armed with a pistol, attempted to murder Yunus Ansari, according to an official at the Department of Prisons.
Maiya Karki, 30, wife of convicted Head Constable Shovit Karki, expressed dissatisfaction over the punishment. “If my husband is guilty he should be punished but what about the top cops who are also involved in the crime?” she questioned.
She said, “Impunity for the higher ranked is easy because of their influence but it is no so for us.” Unable to care properly for her 80-year-old mother-in-law, she has sent her to other relatives but she still has a hard time managing her daily expenses. She also expressed dissatisfaction over the government ignoring the facilities that are meant to be provided to such families as per the Police Directives, 2049.
However, DIG Adhikari said, “I will check if any facilities that are meant for the families of the accused are delayed.” The police last week unveiled a report on departmental action against over 1,000 police personnel for involvement in various unlawful activities over the period of the last seven months.
Those subjected to action include one SSP, two SPs, three DSPs, 45 inspectors, 64 sub-knspectors and 174 constables, among others. Of these, 127 were suspended and 147 sacked. A majority of those charged are low-ranked personnel.
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