Bengaluru, August 2: Senior IPS Officer Bhaskar Rao on Friday took charge as the Bengaluru Police Commissioner, ending the 47-day stint of his predecessor Alok Kumar. At a hurriedly organised event at the police headquarters, Rao took over the charge as the city's police chief. In a departure from the usual precedent, the outgoing commissioner was not present at the ceremony to hand him over the charge.

Rao, a 1990 batch IPS officer, was appointed to the crucial post as part of the rejig ordered by BS Yediyurappa-led BJP government after taking charge. Kumar, who was appointed barely 47 days ago, has been transferred to Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) as Additional Director General of Police (ADGP). Mangaluru: Dr Subramanyeshara Rao is New City Police Commissioner After Sandeep Patil Gets Transferred

Though Kumar's stint was short, he left a considerable impact on Bengaluru. During early morning jogs, he inspected the policemen on duty and also paid heed to complaints brought by people.

On several nights, he carried out surprise checks at police stations to ascertain whether officials were on duty and adhered to their disciplinary code.

At his office, a registry was maintained to note the name of complainants along with a brief about their complaints. The officials were instructed to follow-up their cases and push for early redressal.

Kumar also emphasised on the use of social media by police officers, and had asked citizens to share their concerns on the public app - Sharechat. The police stations were instructed to respond to the complaints shared on the mobile application.

The 1994 batch IPS officer also decided to allow complainants to book an appointment with police personnel by dialing 100, rather than waiting for hours at the police station.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 02, 2019 08:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).