Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], November 15 (HBTV): Uttarakhand Director General of Police (DGP) Abhinav Kumar has directed the Superintendents of Police across all 13 districts of the state to take effective legal measures to control road accidents.

In his instructions, the DGP cited recent incidents, including a fatal accident in Almora due to bus overloading and an accident caused by alleged overspeeding of an Innova car in Dehradun. The DGP has called for proactive preventive actions to reduce road accidents.

DGP Abhinav Kumar has also submitted a representation to the state's Home Secretary, Shailesh Bagauli, advocating for a transparent and autonomous process in appointing the DGP. In his representation, he referenced Section 20 of the State Police Act of 2007, which states that the Director General of Police is to be appointed by the state government’s Appointment Committee, with responsibility for overseeing the police force’s control, direction, and supervision.

The DGP emphasized that since policing is a state subject listed under List II of Schedule 7 of the Indian Constitution, it is vital for Uttarakhand to consider implementing similar rules to ensure transparency, autonomy, and the decisive role of the state government in appointing the DGP.

In his representation to the Home Secretary, DGP Kumar expressed concerns about the current appointment process, which aligns with the Supreme Court's decision in the Prakash Singh vs. Others case, where the Union Public Service Commission and the Ministry of Home Affairs play a decisive role. The DGP argued that this process may not be ideal from a constitutional and practical standpoint. He urged a review of the Uttarakhand Police Act of 2007 to consider amendments related to the DGP’s appointment.

DGP Abhinav Kumar noted that the Uttar Pradesh government recently implemented new rules for the DGP appointment process, in line with Supreme Court guidelines, to ensure the state government's influential role. Inspired by this approach, he requested the Uttarakhand government to enact similar rules to maintain the independence and integrity of the police force.

Earlier, DGP Kumar conducted a video conference with Zone and officials in charge of district, Superintendents of Police, and officials from the Special Task Force and Railways to discuss crime, law and order, and traffic management issues across the state.

(ANI)