Speaking to journalists here on Wednesday after the state
Cabinet meeting, Chavan said he had never hinted that senior Director General
of Police (Anti-Corruption Bureau) Hasan Gafoor would be appointed the new DGP
of the state and stated that he had only said the Gafoor was one of the names
in the panel of three IPS cadre for consideration for the top post.
Chavan denied that injustice was done to any aspirant for
the post and said "comparative merits" was the only criteria
considered by a committee.
Justifying the selection of Shivanandan, Chavan said it
was but natural. "When someone is appointed, then someone has to be superseded
and that happened in the case of Gafoor."
To a volley of questions by the journalists on Gafoor's
issue, the chief minister denied there was a lobby that had worked hard to
ensure the promotion of Shivanandan to the top cop post.
Rumors were doing rounds in police circles that the south
Indian lobby was behind the selection of Shivanandan, also a south Indian.
