Gurgaon, Oct 2 (IANS): Members of several local Residents Welfare Associations (RWAs), activists of political parties and residents of nearby villages on Friday protested the transfer of a Gurgaon police officer and demanded cancellation of the order.

They said that Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) (crime) Rajesh Kumar was made a scapegoat in the wake of a spat between two top cops in this millennium city.

Posted as staff officer to Gurgaon Police chief Navdeep Singh Virk, Kumar has now been transferred to the 1st Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) as Deputy Superintendent of Police.

The protest was held at the main gate of the Police Commissioner's office, where protesters holding banners demanded the cancellation of Kumar's posting.

The protesters also handed over a memorandum to authorities, urging Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar to cancel the posting order.

A protest was also held outside the office of Haryana cabinet minister Rao Narbir Singh, demanding the transfer be cancelled.

While senior state officers termed the transfer a routine move many Gurgaon residents believed Kumar was targeted after a public spat between Police commissioner Virk and joint commissioner of police (traffic) Bharti Arora over a high-profile rape investigation.

The Haryana government on Thursday issued transfer orders of 10 IPS and eight Haryana Police Service officers, including ACP Kumar.