Why Ex-DGP Gupteshwar Pandey Joining JD(U) Is Raising Eyebrows
An IPS officer from the 1977 batch, Pandey bid farewell to his post before term and joined camp Nitish.
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Video Editor: Deepthi Ramdas
Video Producer: Shohini Bose
Former DGP Gupteshwar Pandey, IPS officer from the 1977 batch, bid farewell to his post before term and joined camp Nitish. Although it doesn’t say anywhere in our Constitution that a DGP cannot quit his post before a term to contest elections, when a top cop, assigned the duty of maintaining law and order in the state, joins the ruling party, the junta is bound to ask, “Janab Aise Kaise?”
He is a possible candidate from Buxar and was supposed to retire after five months. As the next assembly elections in Bihar are in 2025, Pandey would have to wait for five years to contest elections. The VRS means no more in the police service, and thus, no power. Only a party ticket would ensure that he stays in power.
He had quit the police force in 2009 as well. Speculations were, he would join politics.
But soon, he had expressed his desire to join the police forces and Nitish Kumar ensured his return.
Pandey’s ‘Politics’ over Sushant Singh Rajput’s Death
Gupteshwar Pandey came back in the limelight after the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Ever since his demise, Pandey has been making remarks more like the JD(U)’s spokesperson than the DGP of the state. Right after the Supreme Court's nod for a CBI probe in Sushant Singh Rajput's death, Pandey said,
Although he issued a clarification later, it was too little, too late. Tax-paying common people have all the right to ask those in power, why is the same urgency that was shown in the Sushant Rajput death case, not shown to curb the rising crime in Bihar.
Let's look at some crucial data.
This is not the first time that a top cop has joined politics or contested elections. Almost every political party has a leader who is a former police official or a judge. And the duration between their retirement and joining politics isn't much.
Former CJI Ranjan Gogoi's Journey from SC To RS
On 9 November, he presided over the bench that passed the historic verdict on the Ayodhya land dispute. He retired from his post on 17 November. On 19 March 2020, he took oath as a Rajya Sabha MP.
Former IPS officer Sunil Kumar's Journey from Khakhi To Khadi
Within a month of retiring from the post of Director-General of the Bihar Police Building Construction Corporation, Kumar joined the JD(U). He retired on 31 July and officially joined the JD(U) on 29 August.
Other leaders who followed suit were Ajit Jogi, Manishankar Aiyar, Yashwant Sinha, Satyapal Singh, OP Chaudhary and Vinod Kispotta.
OP Chaudhary resigned as the collector of Chhattisgarh's Raipur city and joined the BJP in the presence of Amit Shah. In 2014, IAS officer from Jharkhand Vinod Kispotta joined the Congress after taking VRS from his post.
This is not unconstitutional. But perception plays a crucial role amid public life. It is still okay if there's a considerable gap between retirement and joining politics.
But if you are an officer today and a neta tomorrow, we are bound to ask: 'JANAB AISE KAISE?'
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