Special Branch role under lens as personnel accused of shielding misconduct at police stations

The functioning of the Special Branch in Hyderabad has come under scrutiny following allegations that its personnel are failing to report misconduct at police stations to senior officers. Senior police officials, however, insist monitoring mechanisms are in place to ensure accountability.

Hyderabad: The functioning of the Special Branch, regarded as the “eyes and ears” of senior police leadership, has come under scrutiny amid allegations that personnel deputed to monitor police stations are not always reporting misconduct and other irregularities to their supervisory officers.

Apart from gathering intelligence and keeping senior officers informed on law-and-order issues, Special Branch personnel are also expected to monitor the conduct of police personnel. However, concerns have been raised that some personnel are allegedly more responsive to local Station House Officers (SHOs) and Inspectors than to their own chain of command.

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A retired police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, attributed this to professional considerations, personal rapport, alleged monetary benefits, or apprehensions that local Inspectors may later become their supervisory officers. “A Special Branch constable or head constable posted to a police station wields considerable influence because information furnished by them regarding misconduct or abuse of power can trigger immediate action from senior officers,” he said.

Sources said senior officers in some cases became aware of alleged misconduct only after citizens approached them directly, leading to inquiries and disciplinary action against certain Inspectors.

A case in point, they said, was that of a satta (gambling) organiser accused of extorting traders, whose arrest came only after media reports highlighted the matter. Questions are being raised over whether intelligence inputs regarding the organised racket ever reached senior officers.

There are also allegations that some Special Branch personnel turned a blind eye to police personnel allegedly receiving favours from realtors, including construction material for private houses.

Questions have also been raised over police handling of commercial disputes in the city. According to sources, policemen already facing departmental inquiries for allegedly mediating disputes between gold traders and goldsmiths recently intervened in another dispute involving nearly 40 tolas of gold. It is learnt that no case was registered and efforts were made to settle the dispute at the police station located in an area dominated by the Bengali community.

In another instance in the Rajendranagar Zone, a man summoned in connection with a missing passport inquiry alleged that police attempted to mediate a property dispute linked to his matrimonial case and advised him to settle the matter at the police station rather than through legal channels. The intervention reportedly ceased after his advocate approached a senior police officer.

In another case from the same zone, a retired Assistant Sub-Inspector appointed as a Special Police Officer (SPO) twice in the police station from which he retired was granted an extension and continues to serve there.

“Such exemptions may be justified in specialised units like Counter-Intelligence or Greyhounds, where expertise plays an important role. But in a law-and-order police station, how can a policeman be allowed to continue for such a long period?” remarked a local advocate.

Senior police officials however maintain that adequate mechanisms exist to monitor Special Branch personnel and ensure accountability.