The Police Headquarters also started giving postings of 'competent' officials from outside in the DMP.

The transfer process started soon after the DMP authorities sent a list over 50 SIs to Inspector General of Police (IGP) in the last week of September, a top DMP official said seeking not to be named.

Many SIs, panicked at the move, have been learnt to be lobbying with the police headquarters and DMP to stop transfer, said the source.

A number of SIs, preferring anonymity, alleged that the list was prepared not only on the basis of performance but also on consideration of loyalty to the present government.

Following a home ministry meeting in September, DMP Commissioner Ashraful Huda issued letters to the deputy commissioner (DC) of DB and DCs of DMP's east, west, north and south zones to prepare lists of incompetent SIs.

On receiving the lists, the DMP commissioner forwarded it to the IGP at the end of September.

"We evaluate the performance of SIs on the basis of their success rate in anti-crime drives, arrest of criminals and seizure of illegal firearms and contraband drugs and honesty and sincerity," said a DC of police.

He said the police headquarters recently started transferring some SIs to less important places and replacing them by SIs with good performance.

"The process of transfer began around two weeks ago and over 30 percent of the SIs on the list have already been transferred," he added.