PUNE: Days after the Porsche car crash case that has sent shockwaves across the country, retired IAS officer Arun Bhatia has written a letter to the Chairman of Maharashtra Human Rights Commission (MHRC) seeking the transfer of Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar from the city. Bhatia has also requested the human rights body to investigate the conduct of Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar since he "represents the police force in the city".

The appointment of the doctor as Chief Medical Officer based on a politician's recommendation should be investigated and the Health Secretary punished, Bhatia stated in the letter. Bhatia has also asked for a report from the police regarding the step-by-step sequence of events and reasons for delay and lapses in the investigation process which must be obtained and brought into the public domain immediately. "The present Police Commissioner cannot be relied upon to do this," he mentioned. The retired civil servant accused the Police Commissioner of shielding the crime and his corrupt officials. "He refused to explain the delays and lapses. A reporter asking questions was pushed away by a police officer as seen on television. The media reported that the Police Commissioner had said that there was no political pressure to save the doctors and later contradicted this. Two politicians had turned up at the police station," Bhatia added.

To cap this scandal the court released on bail the seventeen-year-old who had emerged from a pub to take the wheel instead of placing him in a remand home, he said. Bhatia requested that the Human Rights Commission take special note of the fact that unless senior officials are held accountable for the misdeeds of their subordinates, government departments will not improve. Requesting transparency in the Pune car crash case, Bhatia said that at present, information about the case is available only from the media. "The Police Commissioner must give this information. In no way will it hamper the investigation," he said. Bhatia stressed that it is essential that crime detection and investigation agencies are kept clean, efficient, and free from corruption. "The H R Commission must ensure this," he added.

The retired civil servant said that the Human Rights Commission has to enforce the implementation of the laws that protect our lives and freedom. "When these laws and procedures are violated the HR Commission must take corrective steps," he added. Bhatia has also penned a letter to Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar saying that "citizens" want him to leave the city. "We will be demanding an investigation into your conduct and other officers. Your presence will compromise this investigation. If you are innocent and have nothing to hide you must go on leave and allow the proper investigation," he said in the letter.