Assistant Sub-InspectorBhagwatrao Tavde was suspended after he was found enjoying the hospitality of a gambling den when it was raided by corporators Pradeep Joshi and Neelam Kodnani on Saturday afternoon. Another Assistant Sub-Inspector, Abdur Rahman Shaikh, was put under suspension for allegedly tearing a page from a diary seized by the corporators from the den.

The transfer orders of Kher and Desle were issued on Tuesday afternoon. While Kher has been dumped into the Modus Operandi Bureau, Desle was shunted out to the Special Branch.

The move to shift Kher and Desle, according to police sources, was taken to quell a section of the local BJP leaders who are demanding suspension and transfer of Additional Commissioner of Police Geetha Johri and Prevention of Crime Branch (PCB) inspector Dinesh Mishra.

Mishra had allegedly slapped Joshi and his supporters at the police station on Saturday night when the corporator allegedly shouted at the senior police officials. Mishra, however, denies that he beat up anybody.

When asked why Kher and Desle were transferred, Commissioner of Police J Mahapatra said that the gambling den fell in their area, and it brought disrepute to the police. Dodging queries on any kind of politics being behind the move, he said, ``I do not want to step into an area which is not my job''. Mahapatra, however, defended Johri and Mishra, saying that they had to take a strong decision in order to bring the situation under control and disperse the mob which had blocked traffic on the road and damaged police vehicles.