A dubious letter of complaint circulating against IPS officer Nisha James about workplace harassment, coincided with her transfer leading to speculation that she had been transferred in response to the complaint. Nisha James was transferred to the Internal Security Division from her post of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Admin) which she had occupied from January 2, 2020. With the transfer, she will now hold the position of Superintendent of Police, Internal Security Division, and will be replaced by BM Laxmi Prasad, according to an order issued on October 19 by Additional Director General of Police, Administration, MA Saleem.
Karnataka DG & IGP Praveen Sood denied any connection of the complaint with the transfer of the IPS officer. “The transfer of Nisha James was purely an administrative move and had nothing to do with the petition. Anonymous or pseudonymous petitions do not deserve any attention,” he maintained.
What would otherwise be a routine transfer came under a cloud as the letter came into circulation purportedly signed by more than 80 police employees, including First Division Assistants (FDA), Second Division Assistants (SDA) and stenographers working in the office of the Bengaluru Commissioner of Police. The 13-page letter addressed to Saleem on September 3, accused James of working late into the night and pressuring others to stay back for as long as she was in the office. Additionally, they claimed that she was arbitrarily reducing employee raises and in certain cases, suspending a number of them. However, the letter seemed more intent on indulging in character assassination of the IPS officer, as it made baffling claims about the officer’s personal life, her choice of food and alleged bias towards staff of other religions.
Officers who spoke to TNM on the condition of anonymity, said she was an honest officer and her transfer was part of a plot as she had made sure that several police officers who had been employed at the same police station for more than five years were transferred. Other officers said that Nisha was due for a transfer as she had completed nearly three years in the present post. The normal period of posting for an officer in that post is usually two years and Nisha had stayed on for nearly three years and was due for a transfer. An IPS officer said that transferring her after a complaint was sent against her, gave the impression that she was forced out due to the complaint. “She has done a lot of good work. They should have given her a graceful exit,” the officer said.
Another officer said that the timing of the transfer sent the wrong message. “It is a sign that unverified complaints can be used to oust an official and this transfer must be revoked,” the police official said.
A senior police officer said that the complaint was determined to be false as inquiries showed that all the signatures were fake. All the signatories to the letter said they were not aware of the contents and claims made in the letter, as their signatures were forged. “It seems to be a cut and paste job as the signatures seem to have been taken from our records. It is a totally bizarre and senseless letter. The department cannot give credence to such nonsense,” the officer said. According to the officer, the letter was in circulation for some time and was put on the public domain when they realised that the officer was being transferred. The officer said, “The decision to transfer was taken before the letter was written. She is an outstanding officer and there were no complaints against her.” Sources in the department said that once it was established that the staff from the Commissioner's office was not responsible for the letter, they had dropped the matter as the department received such questionable and bizarre complaints on a regular basis.
However, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra, said that he had asked the Bengaluru Commissioner to conduct an inquiry into the complaint. “The transfer was not related to the complaint as the officer (Nisha James) was due for a transfer and the officer posted (BM Laxmi Prasad) was waiting for posting. But I have asked the Commissioner to conduct an inquiry and ascertain the truth of the matter,” he said.