Nawada ‘former SP’ left in the lurch by ‘new SP’

Nawada: Feeling humiliated at the treatment allegedly meted out to him by Nawada SP Chandrika Prasad, his predecessor Himanshu Shankar Trivedi, who was transferred only a week after assuming charge in Nawada, has knocked the doors of Magadh range DIG. 

Trivedi, a former JNU teacher who ranked 190th in 2010 civil services examination, is learned to have complained to the DIG that his official vehicle and bodyguard as well as security escort were abruptly withdrawn and directed by the new SP to return to district HQ in the dead of night, leaving him unprotected in a Maoist-hit area of the district. 

All this happened when Trivedi was yet to formally hand over charge to his successor Prasad. According to police sources, Trivedi was on July 4 camping at the Rajauli police station. He was supervising a police operation to track the Maoists who, after shooting CRPF deputy commandant H K Jha in Jamui district’s Lakharia forests a day earlier, were reported to have crossed over to Nawada. 

The same evening Prasad, a Bihar Police Service officer promoted to IPS in 2002 and due to retire in 2017, arrived at the district HQ to take charge from Trivedi. All the police stations in the district, including the Rajauli ps, were informed around 10pm about the arrival of Prasad at Nawada. Trivedi tried to reach Prasad over phone through one of the staff members at the SP residence, but did not succeed as the phone at the SP’s residence was constantly busy. 

Around 12.20am, according to Trivedi’s complaint, Chandrika Prasad ordered the SP’s police vehicle driver, escort party and the bodyguard on the wireless to return to Nawada. 

Trivedi had to arrange a private vehicle to reach the district HQ on July 5. Since even the staff at the SP’s residence refused to obey him on the orders of Prasad, Trivedi had to cross over to the adjacent residential office of the DM to fax his complaint to the DIG. 

DIG Pradeep Kumar Srivastava confirmed received Trivedi’s complaint and said he has sought Prasad’s explanation on the issue. But the matter is not as serious as it appears to have been made out and not at all “newsworthy”, the DIG said on Friday. 

Trivedi, who is now a commandant at the State Disaster Management Force, could not be contacted. New Nawada SP Prasad said Trivedi, following the notification of the transfer orders on July 1, had told him the same day that he needed a couple of days to make arrangements to shift out of Nawada. “On the night of July 4, Trivedi was simply staying at the residence of Rajauli SDO and was not involved in any combing operation against Maoists,” Prasad said and added Trivedi handed over charge to him on July 7, three days after his arrival at Nawada. 

Prasad also said he was not “aware” of Trivedi’s complaint to the DIG. The DIG has so far not contacted or written to him on the issue, he said on Friday.

Courtesy: TNN