Omar Abdullah criticises transfer of DGP SP Vaid, says 'there was no hurry'

Hours after Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) SP Vaid was transferred, former chief minister of the state Omar Abdullah has on Thursday criticised the timing of changing the DGP and said there was no hurry to replace Vaid. He further said that the police chief should have been changed only when a permanent arrangement had been worked out as the state police could do without having to deal with the confusion of leadership.

Taking to Twitter, Abdullah said, "There was no hurry to replace @spvaid. He should have been changed only when a permanent arrangement had been worked out. @JmuKmrPolice has enough problems without having to deal with the confusion of leadership."

Vaid was transferred and posted as the Transport Commissioner and Director General of Police (Prisons) Dilbagh Singh was directed to look after the force until a regular appointment was made.

Reacting to his transfer order, Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) SP Vaid on Friday said that he is going with a lot of good feelings. Speaking to news agency ANI, Vaid said, "I am grateful to god, almighty that I got a chance to serve my people and country. I am going with a lot of good feelings."

The J&K DGP expressed concern over deaths of Kashmiri youths and hoped that it will end soon. "My only concern is that the youth were dying and unnecessary loss of human life. The sooner it ends it will be a very good news for me," he said.

The official order of transfer was issued by R K Goyal the Principal Secretary of Home Department. 

Vaid, a 1986-batch IPS officer, was appointed as the DGP in December 2016. He is due to retire in October 2019.

Singh, who has been made the in-charge DGP, is a 1987-batch officer. He was made the head of the prison department in March after the infamous escape of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist Naved Jhatt while the latter was on a routine health check-up at a city hospital in February.

During his tenure, Singh, as Director General of Prisons, streamlined many things, including the removal of hardened terrorists from Kashmir jails.
He will have a regular appointment only after his name is cleared by the UPSC.

Some more orders are likely to come, in which Arun Chaudhury is likely to be appointed as the Director General of Prisons and S J M Gilani as the Additional Director General of the Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police.