Indian origin British police officer could sue UK govt
Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 30 May, 2022 10:59 AM
London, May 30 (IANS) Neil Basu, an Indian-origin British police officer, is said to be considering his legal options after he was reportedly overlooked for the post of director-general of Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA), equivalent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the US.
He told the UK's Sunday Times newspaper: "I am disappointed in the way the process has concluded and will not be applying again. I will be seeking an explanation from the Home Office."
Matthew Rycroft, the senior-most civil servant at the Home Office, reportedly informed him that he and another officer who had been short-listed for the job that they would not be selected. He is not known to have spelled out a reason for the decision.
A home office spokesman said: "A fair and open recruitment campaign is under way to make the best possible appointment to this vital role."
If Basu doesn't receive a satisfactory answer, the Sunday Times thinks he could approach a court or tribunal for redressal. The UK's hot-selling tabloid Daily Mail corroborated he is "understood to be consulting lawyers about his next step".
The process of picking a person to head what is a key law enforcement organisation will begin afresh. The Guardian reported: "One Whitehall source confirmed claims that the selection process was stopped because Downing Street (euphemism for the British prime minister's office) intervened and favoured Bernard Hogan-Howe, the former commissioner of the Met (Scotland Yard) and a vocal supporter of Boris Johnson, for the NCA role."
Anil Kanti 'Neil' Basu is a son of a doctor who migrated from Kolkata in the 1960s. He gave up banking to become a police officer. He has been an assistant commissioner at Scotland Yard with a distinguished record as head of counter-terrorism. He has lately been a director of the College of Policing leading the strategic command course which prepares police officers and staff for promotion to the most senior ranks in the service. His colleagues rate him highly.
Basu has been known to have had honest differences with Johnson in the past. Priti Patel, who is home secretary, is identified as being against him; and it has been speculated ever since the positions of Scotland Yard chief and NCA DG fell vacant that she would oppose his candidature. In the case of the former, mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who has a say in the appointment, was keen to have Basu at the helm. But the British Indian apparently did not eventually apply for the commissioner's thorny crown.
Last week in a media interview Basu called on police chiefs in Britain to admit there is institutional racism in policing in the country. "We are guilty as charged," he stated. He advocated that "positive discrimination" should be introduced to boost ethnic officers in the ranks.
Students at the Ternopil Medical University in Ukraine capital Kyiv are in constant touch with the Indian Embassy. The varsity is also extending assistance to the students. There are around 20,000 Indian nationals in Ukraine. Most of them are medical students.
The announcement marks this week's one-year anniversary of a supply chain review that found the U.S. is overly dependent on foreign sources, especially China.
Court documents allege there were also two undocumented Indian nationals in the van, along with snacks and provisions. Not far away, in southern Manitoba, RCMP and border officials discovered four frozen bodies, later identified as a couple and their two children from India, who investigators believe were part of a larger group making their way to the United States.
Around 20 medical students from Bareilly and Rampur district are stuck in Ukraine, following border tension with Russia. They want the government of India to evacuate them, according to family members. There are currently around 50 students from Bareilly studying in Ukraine.
The flight ticket prices have risen from Rs 50,000 to over Rs 70,000 and the students say it is this financial hurdle that is forcing them to stay put despite the advisory by the Indian government. On normal days, the flight tickets would cost Rs 21,000-Rs 26,000. But now, due to the Russia-Ukraine tensions, the rates have jacked up.
Former Amazon employee Rohit Kadimisetty has been sentenced to 10 months in prison with a fine of $50,000 for a fraud and bribery scheme targeting the e-commerce giant's online Marketplace. The US Department of Justice (DoJ) said in a statement that Kadimisetty, 28, of Northridge, California, pleaded guilty to conspiracy in September 2021.
