Kathmandu Metropolitan Police Chief, Senior City Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rajunath Pandey has been suspended for 6 months, Metropolitan Police Superintendent Bishnu Prasad Joshi has taken over the post. Joshi, who joined the metropolitan service 32 years ago, has previously held the responsibilities of disaster management and metropolitan police chief.
Earlier, Pandey was asked for a seven-point explanation regarding trying to block Chief Administrative Officer Saroj Guragai from entering the office on the verbal instructions of Mayor Balendra (Balen) Shah. After that he was suspended.
How will Joshi, who came into charge after Pandey's suspension, lead the metropolitan police, especially those who do business on the sidewalks, sell goods such as fruits on bicycles or carts, and sell tea in thermoses? And during his tenure, the public image of the metropolitan police will be the same as it was in the previous days or will it change? Kantipur worker Numa Thamsuhang talked with Superintendent of Police Bishnu Prasad Joshi about this topic:
Since Wednesday, you have been in charge of Kathmandu Metropolitan Police . How do you work now?
I have already worked as the police chief of the metropolis for two years (2074 and 2075). There is some change between then and now. It is to take it together and work using the jurisdiction prescribed according to law .
The Metropolitan Police Act, 2080 states that coordination should be done with the mayor, deputy mayor, chief administrative officer and department head. But it is said that the previous police chief was suspended after asking for an explanation because he had acted against the law. Say something ?
What is about him? How about ? I don't know . I don't even want to speak . Have your own style and way of working . I will act based on the authority given to me by the law.
You are now responsible for the 6 month period of suspension . How is your tenure in the meantime ?
In these 6 months, I will do the work of the Metropolitan Police Force on a daily basis and the decisions that will be implemented, the policy directives, and the things that will change over time . What needs to be done today may not be done tomorrow or there are some things that need to be done every day. It will be worked together .
What do you do about junk dealers and sidewalk dealers?
That's our regular job . This is a matter regulated in the Act. Do not do anything prohibited. These include routine work like workshops, garbage business, monitoring of public toilets, daily garbage collection, footpath encroachment, making potholes on footpaths and roads. Which we continue to do .
Even before this, you were in charge of the head of the Metropolitan Police . What is the difference between then and now?
Manpower and resources, means, leadership are different in every way . If there was a different leadership then, it is different now. Now staffing, resources are different . The difference is that we are humans. Responsibility lies in its place. It doesn't make much material difference to me .
