Senior Bihar cop deserted in Maoist hotspot

He was put in personal danger by his successor who withdrew his security staff and vehicle even before taking charge of the district.

A senior Bihar police officer camping in a Maoist-affected area to supervise combing operations by security forces in the aftermath of a CRPF officer’s murder was put in personal danger by his successor who withdrew his security staff and vehicle even before taking charge of the district.

Himanshu Shekhar Trivedi, the outgoing SP of Nawada district, has alleged that his successor Chandrika Prasad left him unprotected in the Maoist hotspot of Rajauli by abruptly withdrawing his official vehicle, security escort and bodyguards. Mr Trivedi, an IPS officer of the 2010 batch, complained to DIG (Magadh range), Pradip Kumar Srivastava, that Prasad also asked him to return to the district headquarters town of Nawada from Rajauli in the night, a task most police officials dread due to the fear of possible Maoist ambushes.

Mr Trivedi said in his complaint that he was at Rajauli on July 4 to oversee ongoing operations by the police to track down members of a Maoist squad who had shot dead CRPF deputy commandant Hari Kant Jha of the 7th battalion of the CRPF at Lakhari village in the forests in adjoining Jamui district in an ambush the previous day. The Maoists were believed to be camping in Nawada district after killing Jha.

With his official vehicle and security guards withdrawn, Mr Trivedi had to travel to Nawada from Rajauli by a private vehicle on July 5, he said in his complaint. Trivedi, a former teacher at JNU before joining the IPS, had been transferred to become a commandant with the Bihar Disaster Management Force within a week of joining duties as the SP of Nawada.

The DIG confirmed receiving the complaint and said a probe was on about how Mr Trivedi’s security details and official vehicle were withdrawn by Prasad even before Mr Trivedi handed over charge to him as Nawada SP, which happened on July 7. Prasad, who was promoted to the IPS from the Bihar Police Service in 2010, said he had no knowledge of Mr Trivedi’s complaint.

Courtesy: The Asian Age