Bihar DSP removed from election duty in Kusheshwar Asthan after RJD redflag

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav claimed that his party had been “victims of deceit and manipulation” in the last assembly polls but will be alert this time

PATNA: Days ahead of Saturday’s bypoll, a deputy superintendent of police, or DSP-rank officer Dilip Kumar Jha, was removed from election duty in Kusheshwar Asthan on orders of the Election Commission, people familiar with the matter said. The decision to remove the officer came after the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal led a sharp campaign, accusing the official of acting in a partisan manner and claiming that he was recently posted at Biraul sub-division as a part of an effort to influence polls.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav accused the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government of bringing back the DSP to Darbhanga to influence the October 30 polling in booths under his charge (HT file photo/Parwaz Khan)

Dilip Kumar Jha has been replaced by another officer on the orders of the senior superintendent of police following EC’s intervention in the matter, a person aware of the development said on condition of anonymity. Jha could not be contacted for his comments.

RJD leader and leader of opposition in the assembly Tejashwi Yadav fronted his party’s opposition to the officer, pointing that he was transferred from Darbhanga a few months back after complaints against the officer and sent to Bagaha in Pashchim Champaran 200km away.

“But the DSP was brought back to Darbhanga on deputation as part of a conspiracy to influence polls. We complained to EC about his deputation on October 23 but the state administration still made him in charge of 25 booths only recently. What is surprising is there is no notification of his deputation from Bagaha though we have searched in all websites concerned. This means that the posting of the officer was done in a hush-hush manner,” Tejaswi Yadav said.

Yadav, who also sought deployment of additional central forces, said the RJD was being careful about such matters for the bypolls.

“We have been victims of deceit and manipulation in assembly polls last year. We are alert this time and want the election to be fair,” the 31-year-old, widely seen as RJD founder Lalu Yadav’s political heir, said.

The Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (U) and RJD are locked in an intense fight in bypolls on the two seats, Kusheshwar Asthan and Tarapur, necessitated due to the death of the MLAs.

In the national Capital, an RJD delegation led by Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha also approached the Election Commission while a third team met Bihar’s chief electoral officer HR Srinivasa in Patna to seek removal of partisan officers from poll duty.

Asked about the RJD complaints, chief electoral officer HR Srinivasa said an RJD delegation met him pertaining to the posting of some officers on election duty and other demands. He, however, declined to comment further.

RJD’s state spokesperson Mritunjay Tiwary, who was part of the delegation that met Srinivasa, said the state’s top election official assured them of adequate deployment of central forces at polling booths in two constituencies. “ We have been also assured that matter regarding the deputation of DSP Dilip Kumar Jha would be looked into,” he said.