Suspense over urgency of transfer Sunita had asked officers to compile a list of prominent Bajrang Dal leaders Or, was she victim of IPS vs GPS tussle?
File photo: South Goa SP Sunita Sawant receiving special Recognition Award from Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai for accurate planning resulting in the peaceful elections during the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
MARGAO
During the weekend, South district police chief, SP Sunita Sawant received a pat on her back when Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai bestowed on her a special Recognition Award for accurate planning, static surveillance teams and flying squads and playing the key role in ensuring peaceful elections for the Lok Sabha Election 2024.
Hardly two days later, SP Sawant received a late night wireless message from the police control room on Monday to relinquish her charge of South Goa Superintendent of Police with immediate effect and report to the Police headquarters.
Sunita Sawant has relinquished the charge of SP, South, but the transfer of the Goa Police Service officer has left a host of questions unanswered, over the reasons behind the government decision to shunt her from South Goa as the district police chief to the police headquarters – is it because of the IPS versus GPS tussle for posting or is it because SP Sawant had sent a message to the police officers in South district to compile of list of prominent leaders of the Hindu right wing organisation Bajrang Dal and submit the same to her office within a day or two?
Indeed, the sudden shunting out of Sunita Sawant is a talking point in the corridors of the South Goa district police headquarters and outside given that her transfer is not a regular transfer order, but has been issued via a wireless message, indicating the transfer is borne out of some unknown emergency.
With the government posting SP ANC, Tikam Singh Verma, IPS, questions are being asked whether SP, Sunita Sawant’s transfer is due to the IPS vs GPS tussle for plum postings. For, it’s not even a year that Sunita Sawant had taken charge of South, SP in mid-February, 2024.
Sunita Sawant was the only top police officer from the GPS to be posted as the South Goa district police chief in recent times as the post was otherwise presided over by IPS officers.
Incidentally, sources in the know told The Goan that SP Sunita Sawant had reportedly sent a message to the police officers in South district a day ago to compile the list of prominent Bajrang Dal leaders and submit the same to her office on Tuesday.
Sawant is believed to have received her transfer order at around 10.30 pm on Monday evening to relinquish the charge and report to the police headquarters.
SP Sawant was selected for the President’s medal for her distinguished service to the Goa Police department and the society on Independence Day last year.
