Up, Out Of The Way

Crosscurrents

• Chief Minister Anandiben Patel not contesting the next election in 2017

• BJP worried over the fallout of the Patidars’ agitation

• Police officers loyal to Narendra Modi and Amit Shah placed in key positions in the state

• New Delhi calls the shots

• Thakur replaced as DGP by P.P. Pandey, who was in jail with Vanzara for the fake encounter of Ishrat Jahan

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The transfer of yet another Gujarat officer to New Delhi should hardly have been news. After all, many key pos­itions in the national capital have been held by Gujarat-cadre officers since Narendra Modi became prime minister. But when the transfer is from state DGP to DG (Fire Services, Civil Def­ence and Home Guards) and decided on without consulting the officer, and if the new DGP is an accused in cases of extra-judicial encounter out on bail, eyebrows are bound to be raised.