Outspoken in Rhea-CBI tug-of-war, Bihar DGP Pandey takes VRS amid election speculation

Bihar's Director General of Police (DGP) Gupteshwar Pandey on Tuesday took voluntary retirement (VRS) from service, triggering speculation that he would contest the coming state Assembly polls. Pandey's request seeking voluntary retirement was approved by Governor Phagu Chauhan, a notification issued by the state home department said.

Bihar DGP to contest Assembly polls?

Sanjiv Kumar Singhal, DG Civil Defence and Fire Services, has been given the additional charge of DGP Bihar till further orders. Pandey is likely to contest as a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate from Buxar in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, ANI sources said.

Pandey, a 1987 batch IPS officer, came to the limelight in the investigation of actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death by suicide in Mumbai. Pandey had alleged that Mumbai Police was not fair in investigating the late actor's death. Earlier, Pandey had taken premature retirement to contest the Lok Sabha elections in 2009, but later the state government did not accept his VRS application and reinstated him in the service. Bihar Assembly election is likely to be held in October-November.

He had recently been in the headlines for his stout defence of the Nitish Kumar administration when it was under attack from the Shiv Sena-led government in Maharashtra over Bihar Police's probe into the death of Rajput. Bihar Police and Mumbai Police were engaged in a tug of war for an investigation into Rajput's death. Pandey's outspokenness and regular appearance on TV during the saga was also questioned, and now, following his taking VRS, has sparked a political row.

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An FIR was registered in Patna based on the complaint of Rajput's father KK Singh against Chakraborty and others in several sections including abetment to suicide. Later, the matter reached the Supreme Court which asked the CBI to investigate the case related to the actor's death, while holding that the FIR registered in Patna was legitimate.

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