https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

How An IPS Officer Became A Political Scapegoat

He is one of the rare IPS officers in the country to be appointed SSP of same district thrice - that too a state capital – within a period of four years. The 1983-batch IPS officer of UP Cadre Mr O.P. Singh in a candid conversation, revealed the reasons behind these transfers and how he was made a political fall guy. Herewith the excerpts of the second part of an exclusive interview with Mr Singh…
Indian Masterminds Stories

In the second part of the interview with Indian Masterminds woven around his memoirs Crime, Grime, and Gumption— case files of an IPS officer—Mr. OP Singh speaks about the tumultuous years for the UP bureaucracy, sparked off by the compulsions of coalition politics. Between 1989 and 2003, average tenure of a bureaucrat in U.P. was barely few months. Mr Singh, citing his own career, discusses the events that led to his appointment as Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Lucknow three times: in 1994, 1995, and 1998.

WATCH SECOND PART HERE:

The first time he was appointed to helm law and order of the state capital was when he had ‘engaged’ (as he calls encounter killngs) a dreaded Gurjar gangster, Mahendra Fauji, carrying a reward of Rs 2 lakh, in Bulandshahar. BSP leader Mayawati, then a coalition partner in the state government, blamed him for her party’s debacle in an Assembly by election in Hastinapur (Meerut), as Gurjars deserted her party because of the encounter. He was transferred out from Buladhshahar to Lucknow.

Barely few months later, she pressurised the state government led by Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav to suspend him for the Fauji encounter. Yadav, however, transferred him to Allahabad as SSP Kumbh Mela. Mr Singh was transferred back to Lucknow at midnight on June 1, 1995. BSP had withdrawn support to the state government a day earlier. Again, Mr Sook charge at 1 pm on June 2 and four hours later, BSP MLAs were assaulted by Samajwadi Party workers at State Guest House on Meera Bai Marg in Lucknow. Next day, Mayawati was sworn in as Chief Minister with BJP’s support. Mr Singh was the first casualty. He was transferred out once again ‘for merely doing his duty’.

He was posted as SSP Lucknow for the third time by the then Chief Minister Kalyan Singh for the third time in 1998. His stint was known for combating organised crime in Lucknow.

Mr Singh later rose on to become the DGP of the state. He also led two formidable paramilitary forces: the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

(In the concluding part of the interview, to be uploaded soon, Mr Singh talks about his tenue as the DGP, also known as Encounter Raj, during Yogi Adityanath’s tenue as Chief Minister.)

As the title itself conveys, the book is written very lucidly and in a racy style. This book is a must read for anyone who wants to know about the events that took place in the U.P. from the late 1980s to the summer of 2020. These include Babri Masque’s demolition, subsequent riots, Sikh terrorism in Terai and frequent political upheavals in the state, impacting the bureaucracy.

Please click on the link below to watch the first part of the interview-


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Odisha Government
Odisha Elevates Two Promising IFS Officers to Senior Time Scale, Strengthening Forest Leadership - Know More About Them
Yogi Adityanath UP
Uttar Pradesh Floods: CM Yogi Adityanath Forms ‘Team-11’ for Swift and Transparent Flood Relief Across 12 Districts
DGR Job Fair
DGR Job Fair 2025 Held in Delhi to Empower Ex-Servicemen with Career Opportunities in Emerging Tech - Details Inside
omc
Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) Begins Dispatch from Dubna Mines, Strengthening Supply Chain and Industrial Growth
NFDC
NFDC Launches Free Residential 3D Animation & VFX Training for North East Youth - Here's All You Need To Know
CM Yogi
CM Yogi Adityanath Reviews Rs. 42,891 Crore Development Proposals for Lucknow Division, Emphasizes Timely, Inclusive Execution
Mahanadi River
Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai Assures Odisha of Consideration on an Amicable Solution to Mahanadi Water Dispute
MP News
Madhya Pradesh CM Dr. Mohan Yadav Pays Tribute to Pt. Ravishankar Shukla on His Birth Anniversary
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Karn Satyarthi
How IAS Karn Satyarthi Transformed Gumla Through Empathy and Innovation
Ananth Rupanagudi IRAS
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi’s Take on Corruption, Reform, and Duty
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-26 at 13.16
What Most Indians Don't Know About Jim Corbett
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
BPSC Bihar police
From Lantern Light to Police Uniform: How Praveen Kumar from a Small Bihar Village Cracked BPSC to Become SDPO
From a lantern-lit village in Bihar to becoming an SDPO, Praveen Kumar's journey is a testament to resilience,...
IAS Priyansha Garg
Why Mindset Matters: IAS Priyansha Garg’s Mental Health Mantra for UPSC
After two failed prelims, Priyansha Garg cracked UPSC with AIR 31 in her fourth attempt, proving how...
Ashish Akshat
From Setback to State Topper: How Ashish Akshat Topped JPSC While Working Full-Time
Ashish Akshat from Dhanbad topped JPSC 2023, proving that resilience, discipline, and family support...
Social Media
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve: From India’s First Sanctuary to a Tiger Conservation Success Story | International Tiger Day Special
IAS Supriya Sahu Hails Mudumalai's Role in Tiger Conservation on Tiger Day. Declared in 1940, Now Among...
Mangroves
Mangroves: Nature’s Shield Against Disasters, Says Officer Parveen Kaswan on Mangroves Day - Watch His Post Here
Mangroves, with their dense, interlaced root systems, form a mesh-like structure that serves as a buffer...
Retired IPS Inderjit Singh Sidhu
Purpose Doesn’t Retire: How 88-Year-Old Retired DIG Becomes Chandigarh’s ‘Quiet Warrior’ of Cleanliness
Inderjit Singh Sidhu’s Dawn Patrol Earns Applause, Mahindra’s Praise for a Man Who Chose Action Over...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Odisha Government
Odisha Elevates Two Promising IFS Officers to Senior Time Scale, Strengthening Forest Leadership - Know More About Them
Yogi Adityanath UP
Uttar Pradesh Floods: CM Yogi Adityanath Forms ‘Team-11’ for Swift and Transparent Flood Relief Across 12 Districts
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Karn Satyarthi
Ananth Rupanagudi IRAS
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-26 at 13.16
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT