SSP transfer after MP son’s arrest

Patna: Gaya top cop Garima Malik’s transfer among that of 24 IPS officers late on Friday night is being inferred as a case of “catch a goon and get transferred” in the police force.

According to a notification issued by the home department, 2007-batch IPS officer Garima has been made commandant of the 10th battalion of the Bihar Military Police in Patna, a less important assignment compared to her Gaya posting.

The home department has called the Friday late night exercise a routine transfer but sources in the state police headquarters said she had been shunted at the behest of Gaya BJP MP Hari Manjhi whose son Rahul Kumar Manjhi and friend were arrested from Nama village in Gaya district on April 23.

2010-batch officer Rajeev Mishra, son-in-law of DGP K.S. Dwivedi and earlier posted as Kishanganj superintendent of police (SP), will replace Garima.

Superintendents of police of 17 districts, including the senior superintendents of police (SSP) in Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Bhagalpur and Darbhanga, are among the 24 IPS officers shifted to tone up the law and order machinery.

“Garima has been transferred from Gaya to delay the chargesheet against Rahul in the case lodged under relevant sections of the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act 2016,” said a source in the police headquarters. Rahul had been arrested from the Gaya Magadh Medical College police station on December 14, 2016, on similar charges.

“Rahul now comes under the category of habitual (repeat) offenders. He may have to serve seven years’ rigorous imprisonment if convicted,” said high court lawyer Rajesh Ranjan Kumar Pandey.

MP Manjhi, however, defended his son. “The police have implicated my son in the liquor case. I informed Magadh (range) deputy inspector-general Vinay Kumar about the illegal sale of liquor in and around Nama village with the connivance of the police. The police, instead of taking action, arrested my son and his friend,” he said on Saturday.

Rumours were doing the rounds that Garima might be posted as Muzaffarpur SSP to set things right after the special vigilance unit searched the residence of her batchmate and now-suspended Vivek Kumar in a disproportionate assets case. But while Garima has been brought to Patna, 2009 batch officer Harpreet Kaur, earlier posted in Kaimur, has been appointed the new Muzaffarpur SSP.

Munger SP Ashish Bharti will replace Bhagalpur SSP Manoj Kumar, who has been sent to Darbhanga in the same capacity. Darbhanga SSP Satyaveer Singh has been appointed SP of Rohtas. Gaurav Mangla has been made Munger SP while Purnea SP Nishant Kumar Tiwari has been shifted to the BMP’s first battalion in Patna.

Katihar rail SP Umashankar Prasad has been made Arwal SP. Nawada SP Vikas Burman has replaced Sitamarhi SP Hari Prasath S, who has taken his place in Nawada.

SP-CID Sanjay Kumar will be the new Madhepura SP, replacing Vikas Kumar, who has been appointed Katihar SP as Siddharth Mohan Jain has been relieved for central deputation. Jain will be sent to central deputation for four years and will serve with the Central Bureau of Investigation as SP.

BMP-2 commandant at Dehri-on-Sone Parvez Akhtar has been transferred and made SP-cum-assistant director of Bihar Police Academy, Patna. Natasha Guria, commandant of BMP-13 in Darbhanga, has been transferred to BMP-2, and given additional charge of the women’s battalion. Vaishali SP Rakesh Kumar has been sent to Saharsa. Ravi Ranjan, commandant of BMP-12 (Saharsa), will take charge as Kishanganj SP while City SP, Patna (east), Vishal Sharma will take charge in Purnea.

Courtesy: The Telegraph