Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh is clearly missing his “good player” in Bastar. On Sunday, Singh openly praised the controversial former Bastar Inspector General of Police (IG) SRP Kalluri.

“Sometimes a good player has to sit outside the field. I have advised him to take rest due to his ill health,” Chhattisgarh CM Singh told reporters while attending ‘Pragati Evam Maha Aawas Mela’ (development and grand housing fair) in Mugeli District. “He (Kalluri) underwent bypass surgery and has problem in kidney. Therefore, I asked him to get well first.”

He hailed Kalluri’s “great work in Bastar” and said that it has “raised the morale of police.”

Praising the 1994-batch officer currently on a sanctioned 90-day leave with effect from February 1, 2017, Singh added, “ If required, his services will be used in future.”

However, this statement is unlikely to go down well with activists and members of civil societies in and outside the tribal state. There are serious allegations of rights violation against the former Bastar IGP. On several occasions, the Bastar police under him have been accused of threatening activists and harassing journalists.

In March 2016, journalist Prabhat Singh was arrested for making an “obscene comment” on the former Bastar top cop.

Kalluri has been extremely critical about activists helping the tribals in the state. In November last year, Delhi University professor and author Nandini Sundar and Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Archana Prasad were booked along with ten others for the murder of a tribal villager.

Kalluri had then called the activists “enemies because they incite the people of India.” Later, the National Human Rights Commission had summoned him for allegations of rights violation by security personnel in the Maoist-hit district.

In January 2017, Bastar-based activist Bela Bhatia’s house was attacked by vigilantes and she was asked to vacate the house within 24 hours. The Chhattisgarh Home Secretary had met Bhatia to know the entire story. Soon after this incident, Kalluri was sent on medical leave .

However, Raman Singh’s statement has come days after Kalluri was reportedly absolved of charges against him. He has been attached to the police headquarters in Raipur and is expected to join the office soon.