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Three Bihar IPS men show caused for checking mobile phone at CM meeting
The notice comes as a major embarrassment to Patna senior superintendent of police Manu Maharaaj, city SP (central) Chandan Kushwaha and Pankaj Kumar Raj, also an IPS officer.
Not being attentive to the chief minister’s speech and fiddling with their mobile phones and playing video games during an official meeting, is proving to be a source of big embarrassment for three senior Indian police service (IPS) officers of Bihar.
TV grabs had captured these officers busy playing their mobiles at an official meeting at the ‘Samwad’ communication centre, organised by the economic offences unit of the Bihar police, on the occasion of international day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking, on June 26.
Embarrassed by the TV video footage, the government has ordered an inquiry into the incident and issued show cause notices to the three officers - namely, Patna SSP Manu Maharaaj, city SP (central) Chandan Kumar Kushwaha and IPS officer Pankaj Kumar Raj.
They have been asked to furnish their explanations, immediately.
Confirming the development, additional director general of police (headquarters) Sanjiv Kumar Singhal said that such conduct was not expected of senior police officers.
Besides the CM, chief secretary and director general of police (DGP), ADGs, inspectors general (IGs),deputy inspectors general (DIGs) of police and SPs of all districts were present at the meeting, at which ways of enforcing prohibition more effectively and loopholes in policing plugged, was under discussion.
The meeting assumed importance also because the Chief minister has been passionately pursuing the prohibition policy, despite Opposition criticism for neglecting other important aspects of governance and heavily banking on the police to deliver the goods on liquor ban.
Police sources said Kushwaha and Raj were seen playing games on their mobiles while Patna SSP Maharaaj was surfing WhatsApp messages, during the meeting. This was taken as evidence of their lack of interest in the proceedings.
Raj was recently shifted from the post of Saran SP after a recent report on a boat tragedy on the day of Makar Sankranti (January 14), near Patna, which claimed 24 lives, indicted the Saran administration for alleged lapses. He is presently waiting for posting.
“They were enjoying mobile game Candy Crush, visuals of US President Donald Trump’s wife Melania Trump, even as the CM addressed them and sought their cooperation,” said an official, adding, “In this era of 24-hour media, people holding important positions need to be watchful about their conduct in public”.
He said that the chief minister had, in the past also, mentioned that he would like officers to leave their mobile phones outside while attending important functions or meetings.
