Sanjiv Bhatt, Police and Politics

Sanjiv Bhatt, Police and Politics.

I have just seen the following article on a popular website.
It is most distressing and dangerous.

IPS officer Sanjiv R. Bhatt suspended

Posted by: “Anjlee Pandya”
anjleepandya@gmail.com
Fri Aug 12, 2011 10:54 pm (PDT)

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: votebank politics <votebankpolitics@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Aug 12, 2011 at 6:11 PM
Subject: Mischievous and in-disciplined Gujarat cadre IPS officer Shri Bhatt
put under suspension
To:

Mischievous and in-disciplined Gujarat cadre
IPS officer Shri Bhatt put under suspension

*1. Shri Sanjiv R. Bhatt *is an IPS officer of 1988 batch belonging to
Gujarat cadre, whose career since the beginning of his service has remained controversial. Because of his numerous acts of omissions, commissions, controversial actions and behaviour, he* has mostly remained in the sidelined posts. He is facing several department proceedings and criminal cases of serious nature. Even he has not been promoted as IGP though* his batch mates have been promoted long back.

2. At present he is in DIG rank and posted as Principal, SRP Training
Centre, Chawki, Sorath, Junagadh since 1st September, 2010. There are 340 Armed Police Recruits, who have been recruited with many efforts, are under training and passing through a crucial phase of their induction into the
State Police force. Yet Shri Bhatt didn’t find it fit enough to do his
duties at Junagadh.

3. Shri S. R. Bhatt, applied for ‘Half Pay Leave’ from 14.2.2011 to 8.4.2011
vide his application dated 9.2.2011. The DGP, Gujarat State informed him
vide fax message dated 12.2.2011 that leave as applied for by him was not
granted and, hence he should not proceed on leave. Ignoring the orders of
his DGP, Shri S. R. Bhatt informed the DGP, Gujarat State on 12.2.2011 that he has proceeded on sick leave from 11.2.2011 (after office hours) for 30 days enclosing a medical certificate certifying the illness of his mother.

4. The DGP, Gujarat State vide his letter dated 13.2.2011 informed Shri S.
R. Bhatt that appropriate decision on his leave application would be taken
after compliance of the certain points. Shri S. R. Bhatt again requested for
sick leave for 30 days along with contact details directly to the DGP office
on 13.2.2011. Despite *specific instructions from DGP, Gujarat State asking
him not to proceed on leave,* Shri S. R. Bhatt ignored such instructions and
remained unauthorizedly absent from duty from 12.2.2011 to till date. In the
interim, Shri S. R. Bhatt sent requests for extension of leave from time to
time but the DGP refused leave/ extension of leave on all such occasions and asked Shri S. R. Bhatt to report for duty. But Shri S. R. Bhatt ignored all
such instructions and orders from DGP, Gujarat State and remained/ continues to remain unauthorizedly absent from duty. *He has not resumed duties yet though more than 10 months has passed since he has been posted.* He has been making lame claims about his appearance before SIT and the Inquiry Commission, which any officer can do as a part of duty from any posting. Leave for such a long period is not a privilege and* no one can claim such privilege as a ‘matter of right’. *

5. Shri S. R. Bhatt’s *unauthorized absence from duty is a very serious kind
of misconduct*, not befitting a senior member of the IPS. The gravity of the
unauthorized absence from duty of Shri S. R. Bhatt becomes more serious for the reason that he is Principal of SRP Training Centre, Chawki, Sorath,
District Junagadh, where *new recruits are being trained and transformed in
a well-disciplined members of the police force; *by committing such
misconduct, Shri S. R. Bhatt *has set a very bad example of indiscipline and
insubordination before the new recruits.*

6. He was relieved of the additional charge of the post of DIG, Gram Rakshak Dal (GRD) vide Home Department’s Order dated 30.10.2010. Shri S. R. Bhatt was also instructed vide Order dated 30.10.2010 not to leave his official headquarter (SRP Training Centre, Chawki, Sorath, Junagadh) without prior permission of the DGP, Gujarat State. Despite this, Shri S. R. Bhatt left the headquarter without permission of DGP, Gujarat State and remained at his residence at Ahmedabad.

7. Without obtaining any permission from the Addl. DGP (Training), Shri S.
R. Bhatt performed his administrative duty from his residence at Ahmedabad and thereby indulged in the conduct unbecoming of a member of the IPS.

8. During 1.11.2010 to 20.12.2010, *he took the services of 30 employees of
SRP Training School as gunman and runner duty unauthorizedly at his
Ahmedabad residence,* which resulted in unnecessary financial burden of
salary and TA/ DA on Government exchequer. *During the unauthorized absence from duty, Shri S. R. Bhatt used Government vehicle with a driver from 12.2.2011 to 29.4.2011 at his residence at Ahmedabad i.e. outside his
official headquarter, for his personal work,* creating unnecessary financial
burden on State exchequer, in violation of Para-458(4) of the Gujarat Police
Manual Part-III.

9. Shri S. R. Bhatt *did not submit his E-Statements for the months of
September, October and November, 2010* to his higher authority in violation of Para-248 of the Gujarat Police Manual Part-III. *Shri S. R. Bhatt made a misleading entry in the Movement Diary on 10.11.2010 and 15.11.2010 showing his presence at the SRP Training Centre, Chawki, Sorath, Junagadh. *

10. From the Log Book and the statements of his driver, Vice Principal and
other staff of the SRP Training Centre, Chawki, Sorath, Junagadh, Shri S. R.
Bhatt was not present at the SRP Training Centre, Sorath, Junagadh on
10.11.2010 and 15.11.2010. *He created a false record of his presence at the SRP Training Centre, Chawki, Sorath, Junagadh*, which is a very serious matter amounting to lack of integrity and lack of devotion to duty.

11. Despite *his unauthorized stay at Ahmedabad, Shri S. R. Bhatt, in his
Movement Diary, mentioned that he remained at Ahmedabad from 1.11.2010 to 18.11.2010 for preparation of marathon. Participation in and preparation for marathon is not an official duty.* *He was not assigned any such duty for this event,* meaning thereby that Shri S. R. Bhatt, for his personal work, stayed at Ahmedabad and remained unauthorizedly absent from duty at the headquarter.

*12. Shri S. R. Bhatt did not write the Log Book for the Government vehicle
No.GJ 18-G.2361 for quite some time, in violation of Government instructions * in this regard as also in violation of of Para 499 (2) of the Gujarat Police Manual Part III. A Preliminary Inquiry was initiated against Shri S. R. Bhatt, for his unauthorized absence from the headquarter (Chawki, Sorath,Junagadh).

*13. Despite repeated instructions given on 22.12.2010, 23.12.2010,
28.12.2010, 8.2.2011, 11.2.2011, 13.2.2011, 14.2.2011, 7.3.2011, 21.3.2011and 22.3.2011 to remain present before the Preliminary Inquiry Officer* *(Shri Vinod Mall, IPS), he (Shri S. R. Bhatt) ignored the notices and did not remain present before the Preliminary Inquiry Officer.* After giving
sufficient opportunity to Shri Bhatt and after conducting inquiry by a
senior officer like Shri V. K. Mall, a report was submitted to the DGP,
Gujarat State.

*14. During his tenure in the Gram Rakshak Dal, he (Shri S. R. Bhatt) used
five Government vehicles unauthorizedly. Even after getting relieved from
the charge of the post under the Gram Rakshak Dal on 30.10.2010, he
continued to retain one vehicle of Gram Rakshak Dal (Ambassador Car
No.GJ.3-G-341) with him unauthorizedly. *

*15. He took away two laptops, one multi-media projector, one computer, one cell-phone with SIM-card, two digital video cameras and one lawn mower from the office of the Gram Rakshak Dal to his residence, *which were not returned till the Preliminary Inquiry started on 1.5.2011.

16. Looking into the inquiry report and the continuous disobedience by Shri
Sanjiv Bhatt is a serious misconduct and under AIS Conduct & Discipline
Rules, it attracts a major penalty. In this circumstance and having regard
to the above-mentioned several serious acts of commission and omission and conduct unbecoming of a senior member of the IPS, after careful
consideration, *Shri S. R. Bhatt, IPS has been placed under suspension* on
8/8/2011, in exercise of the powers conferred by Rule 3(1) of the All India
Service (Discipline & Appeals) Rules, 1969.

I have never met Sanjiv Bhatt.
In terms of service, he is junior to me by 20 years. I was offered the Indian Police Service, but I joined the Indian Revenue Service for the simple reason my mother did not like the idea of my joining the police force.
But Sanjiv Bhatt’s conduct is hardly something which can be justified by any one – either morally or legally.

Members of the All India Services – the IAS and the IPS are a privileged lot. They are appointed by the Central Government and allotted to a particular state. They draw their salaries and allowances from that state. Even though they enjoy certain safeguards against dismissal, etc., they are under the day to day administrative control of the concerned state.

Of late, IPS officers like Sanjiv Bhatt have been mixing up politics with their official duties, hogging the media and making all kinds of allegations.

Serving officers should not address the media unless the conduct rules permit them to do so. Of course, they can and should approach the High Courts and Supreme Court, wherever necessary.

The several allegations in the above paragraphs against Sanjiv Bhatt are prima facie sufficient to justify disciplinary against him. He must remember that if he himself is thoroughly indisciplined, how can he expect, demand and get unsquinted obedience from his subordinates.
They will behave in the same irresponsible manner and the system would collapse.
And if the allegations are correct, no court can support his stand.

First, before fighting against the State, Sanjiv Bhatt or any other officer himself should be clean in all respects.
Otherwise, he will end up a hapless loser the same way as Baba Ramdev.

Sanjiv Bhatt, you are treading on dangerous turf.
You will end up a sad loser.
And in the end, it will be your wife and children who will suffer.

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4 replies on “Sanjiv Bhatt, Police and Politics”

  1. This is a story of bad role model in IPS Cadre . I think, he feels if a Constable, after suspension, can get him self converted into a goonda, fight election and become MLA, why not a senior officer….Meddling in politics must have some pay off.
    He may be speaking truth so far his attending of meeting at CM’s residence is concerned, but he has acted very cleverly as established by his various acts narrated and evidenced in the above article.
    God bless Sanjiv Bhatt….

  2. Binjoyi,
    Now the story has proceeded further. This Officer has been arrested on the basis of an FIR filed by a constable alleging that he – the constable was forced to sign wrong affidavit in the presence of leader of opposition and he was taken to that leader’s residence by this officer. The case is being heard by Gujarat High Court. Let us see what happens.

  3. Sanjay Bhatt has since obtained bail from the District Court.
    But the Govt. may prefer appeal.
    In any event, the disciplinary proceedings against him will continue….for several years.

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