A day after Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav alleged caste-based postings in the Uttar Pradesh police force, DGP Prashant Kumar on Monday dismissed claims, terming them “baseless and misleading.” In a strongly worded statement issued by DGP Kumar said, “People holding responsible positions should refrain from spreading rumours. The claims being circulated on social media about caste-based postings are baseless.”
“Our duty is to counter misinformation with facts and several police units have already done so by releasing relevant data,” he said.
“If such misleading information is spread in the future, we will continue to bring the truth before the public. All postings across Uttar Pradesh are being done strictly as per established norms and guidelines,” he added. The DGP’s comments come a day after Yadav, speaking to reporters in Prayagraj, alleged that officers from backward and minority communities were underrepresented in police postings, particularly at the level of station house officers (SHOs).
“In Agra, out of 48 police stations, only 15 SHOs are from the PDA (Backward, Dalit, and Minority) communities. The rest are all from the ‘Singh bhai log’,” Yadav had said, using a colloquial term to refer to the Thakur community.
Live Events
He cited similar examples from Mainpuri, Chitrakoot, and Mahoba districts and accused the BJP government of following a “divide and rule” policy by dividing society along caste and religious lines. Responding to these claims, multiple police departments across the state shared their data publicly. The Agra Police Commissionerate, for instance, stated that 39 per cent of its force comprises OBCs and 18 per cent belong to SC communities, which is significantly higher than the 27 per cent OBC reservation norm.
Mainpuri Police said 31 per cent of its personnel were from OBCs and 19 per cent from SC backgrounds. Chitrakoot Police reported that of its 12 police stations, three SHOs were OBC, two were SC/STs and seven were from other categories.
Prayagraj Police also issued a rebuttal to Akhilesh Yadav’s claims, clarifying that SHO appointments are based on merit and professionalism.
“Around 40 per cent of our SHOs belong to OBC and SC/ST communities. Selections are made based on dedication, integrity, social sensitivity, and responsiveness to public grievances,” a statement from the department said.
However, Yadav on Monday shared some data from Prayagraj Police on social media and insisted on his claims.
In a post on X, he said, “90 per cent PDA has only 25 per cent representation in Prayagraj Police. This is ‘proportional injustice’ being done to PDA.”
Meanwhile, calling for restraint, DGP Prashant Kumar urged political leaders and the public to avoid drawing hasty conclusions based on incomplete or inaccurate information.
“It is our responsibility to present factual data and maintain public trust. We appeal to all to stay away from rumours and not raise unwarranted questions on the police system,” he said.