Viewers' Voice

14/03/2010

Bihar Police: For Public or for Political Masters?

 

 

(BiharTimes) I am a retired Police Officer who follows Police activities in Bihar. To my consternation, the media has not raised any issue over of violation of Police Act and marginalisation of honest Police Officers in Bihar. The recent appointment of DGP and subsequent transfrers show that the Government thinks that the Police is meant to serve those in Power and not the general public.
The Nitish government overlooked the claim of the senior most IPSofficer in the state of Bihar ,Manoje Nath(1973 R R ) due to retire on 30 6 2012 i.e with two years and four months to go, for the post of
DGP . Instead it chose for the top post Neel Mani an officer of 1975 batch who retires in 1974 Septemebr i.e is he has less than two years to go. JK Khanna is yet another senior officer (1974) batch of have been overlooked . Only a couple of days the Hon’ble Patna High Court had quashed a departmental proceeding against Manoje Nath which as per the Court had been raked up by the Government as Manoje Nath was the senior most Officer of the State.
The court had earlier observed that the things had been blown out of all proportions largely on account of the ego clash of two senior officers. The other officer J K Khanna(1974 )had also contested the appointment of DN Gautam , the junior most officer, he was number 5 in the order of seniority,ignoring in the CAT and the CAT had held the appointment of DN Gautam to be illegal and directed the state government to give
him all the benefits that Gautam had been given ie a fixed salary of 80 000 etc .JK Khanna had also petitioned the state government that this time round it should stick to the principle of seniority because in view of several recent judgements the psot of the DGP was a promotional post etc .

Manoje Nath is considered to be a very upright , honest and uncompromising officer . He would have been a unacceptable especially in view of the impending assembly Elections The state government's
plan to rule him out was upset by the verdict of the High Court which came just in the nick of time . So his exclusion caused shock and consternation but those who knew were also aware of its inevitability . His most recent act which may have sealed his fate , was his decision to register a case against the the Chairman of BIhar State
Electricity Board Swapan Mukherjee in April 2009 ,in his capacity as DG vigilance Electricity Board.Swapan Mukherjee is supposed to be every close to the chief minister.This led to his abrupt and premature
transfer from the Board to the Sports Authority as its DG, and the demand of the various opposition parties that either he be restored his previous posting or the matter be handed over to the CBI . The government kept silent but refused to give further extension to Sapan Mukherjee.
In Bihar now the two juniormost DGs occupy the two cadre posts- DGP and Commandant General Homeguards- where as the first two are placed on ex cadre posts. Similarly in ADG postings, honest officers like Abhayanand have been shown the door. The Government probably was afraid that Abhayanand would not permit convenient deployment of BMP.

Its high time that we come together raise our voice against the systemic destruction of Police in Bihar.

R K Singh

 

The views expressed by the author are personal.