MUMBAI: At least 10 police stations, two police divisions and a cyber-crime detection unit in the city have been headless for several months now, with junior officers having little experience in handling complex law and order situations filling in for the roles. Meanwhile, over 20 senior police officers, each with more than 20 years of experience in detecting and cracking sensitive cases, have been stationed at the police control room at the Commissioner of Police (CP) office in south Mumbai, awaiting specific postings, in some cases for more than six months.
The ranks of officers without proper postings include at least 11 senior inspectors, one of whom headed two police stations in the city during the Lok Sabha polls in 2024. Two assistant commissioners of police (ACP) – including an ACP who probed the murders of Bollywood actress Laila Khan, her three siblings and their mother – and around ten inspector cadre officers also feature in this list.
Though these officers have been marking their attendance at the CP office regularly, they are rarely assigned work, except during bandobast duties coinciding with important events and festivals. When asked where they are posted, they all have a standard response: ‘Ped ke neeche’, which translates as ‘under the tree’.
The term harks back to the old days, when police officers had to queue up under a massive tree at the police headquarters to mark their daily attendance, by signing registers. Though the practice of signing registers is outdated and police personnel no longer queue up under the tree, the phrase ‘ped ke neeche’ has stuck and is used to refer to officers without specific postings.
Humiliating, say officers
Police officers who are awaiting postings fall into two broad categories – officers from Mumbai who were transferred out of the city during the assembly polls; and officers from other parts of the state who were transferred to Mumbai during the past few months.
Prior to the assembly polls in November 2024, 111 police officers from Mumbai were transferred outside the city as per directions of the Election Commission of India. Among them, 56 officers were brought back to Mumbai in January 2025. Forty-four of these officers were subsequently posted at high profile police stations, the traffic department and the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), but the remaining officers are still shown as attached to the police control room at the CP office.
Two ACPs and around 10 officers of inspector rank who were transferred to Mumbai from other parts of Maharashtra are also shown as posted in the police control room.
“My job every day is to visit the police headquarters, just to mark attendance. Duties are assigned to us only when there is some bandobast work,” said one of the affected police inspectors who did not wish to reveal his identity.
“When such senior officers are not given postings for months together, it is extremely humiliating – more so when so many police stations and divisions in the city are lying vacant,” a senior police officer told Hindustan Times on condition of anonymity. “What is worse is that they are not even given any reasons for not being assigned specific postings.”
Crucial posts lying vacant
Police stations in Mumbai that do have a supervisory officer and are being run by junior officers on ad hoc basis include Vile Parle, Sahar, Saki Naka and Goregaon in the western suburbs; Dongri and Yellow Gate in south Mumbai; and Tilak Nagar and Shahu Nagar in central Mumbai. Additionally, the senior inspector who heads Bhandup police station was promoted a few months ago but is continuing at the same police station.
Apart from these police stations, two important police divisions in western suburbs – DN Nagar and Vakola – have no ACPs in supervisory role. The cyber crime department is also short of senior officers.
“The posts of deputy commissioner of police and assistant commissioner of police in Mumbai Cyber have been lying vacant for over a year, even though cyber is such an important division and cases of cybercrime are rising,” said the senior officer quoted earlier.
“Even the crime branch lacks proper officers and many of its units including the anti-extortion cell and the property cell are headed by junior rank officers,” a crime branch officer told HT on condition of anonymity.
A senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer confirmed that the aforementioned police stations and divisions were headless.
“Many officers are still awaiting postings. The issue is likely to be resolved in May during annual general transfers,” said the IPS officer.