“Robinhood Bihar Ke”, a song by ‘Bigg Boss’ fame Deepak Thakur is dedicated to Gupteshwar Pandey, who, until earlier this week was a one of the most prominent DGPs of Bihar and is now set to contest the upcoming state elections after he joined the JD(U) on Sunday, 27 September.
A 1987 batch IPS officer, Pandey has sought voluntary retirement from the force just five months ahead of his actual retirement.
Here’s a look at Pandey’s journey to the top:
Forefront of #JusticeForSSR Movement in Bihar
Pandey was recently in the headlines after he questioned Rhea Chakraborthy’s ‘aukaat’ as the Sushant Singh Rajput death case was being taken over by the CBI. Pandey was also in the news for constantly targeting the Mumbai Police over a ‘flawed’ investigation in the actor’s death. However, Pandey has made headlines for several controversies before.
Sanskrit Graduate to UPSC
Pandey was DG Training and DG Police Academy before he was appointed as the Bihar DGP by the Nitish Kumar-led government in the state just ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Hailing from Buxar’s Geruabandh, Pandey completed his graduation in Sanskrit from Patna University.
After qualifying for UPSC in his first attempt, Pandey was posted as an Income Tax officer. He, however, wanted to be an IPS officer and reappeared for the exam to become one.
Crackdown on Crime, Naxalism
In an interview to ‘The Lallantop’, Pandey has spoken at length about his efforts to curb crime and Naxalism in the state. Pandey has been the SP of Naxal-affected areas like Jahanabad, Begusarai and Nalanda. Pandey narrated how his team tackled local mafia don Ashok Samrat and put over 400 criminals behind bars in Begusarai.
He was later appointed as the DIG of Munger and Muzzaffarpur before being posted as IG DGP of Muzzaffarpur zone.
The Navruna Case
In September 2012, a 12-year-old girl went missing from her house in Muzzaffarpur while Pandey was IG DGP. Two months later in November, the girl’s bones were recovered from a drain near her house. Pandey was a part of the investigating team that came under fire over the probe.
The case was then handed over to the CID before being taken over by the CBI in 2014 on court’s orders.
In November 2018, the CBI was given six months by the court to complete investigation in the case. An extension was sought on the basis of pending scrutiny of the investigating officers of the case, including Pandey.
The CBI is yet to file a closure report in the case.
Pandey Sought to Quit Force Once Before
Pandey had earlier sought voluntary retirement in 2009 amid reports of him contesting elections from Buxar on a BJP ticket. However, he was allowed to withdraw his resignation nine months later, a decision of the state government that was questioned by many.
(This story was first published by Quint Hindi.)
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