Bihar: Nitish takes cognizance of spat between two top police officers

Purnea: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday disclosed that he has asked officials concerned to look into alleged misbehaviour with a senior IPS officer by his superior but also chided the aggrieved officer for sharing his ordeal on social media.

Kumar, who was in Purnea district as part of "Samadhan Yatra", was replying to queries from journalists about the controversy surrounding Vikas Vaibhav, currently posted as IG, fire, and Shobha Ohatker, who is the DG.

"I have told officials concerned to look into the matter and apprise me of their findings. But it is highly inappropriate if an officer, instead of taking up the matter with his seniors, chooses to tweet. This is against service rules," the chief minister said.

In the tweet that has since been deleted, Vaibhav had complained of abusive behaviour of "DG madam", without mentioning her by name, and claimed to have even "recorded" one such instance.

Neither Vaibhav, a 2003 batch officer, nor Ohatker, who is of the 1990 batch, has spoken to the media on the issue.

Vaibhav, who is very active on Facebook and Twitter, has come up with cryptic posts indicating his distress and his wish to be "free from shackles" (bandhan se mukt).

However, the opposition BJP in the state has sought to throw its weight behind Vaibhav, treating the matter as an "affront to Bihari pride" by Ohatker, who hails from Maharashtra.

"IAS KK Pathak gave evidence of being in mental stress and frustration. Now IPS Shobha Ohatker is also under extreme mental stress and frustration,” said state BJP spokesman Nikhil Anand.

Pathak, a UP-born IAS officer of additional chief secretary rank, was recently in the news when a purported video went viral in which he could be heard using expletives and uttering uncharitable remarks about Bihar and its people.

The episode was followed by an FIR lodged against Pathak by the Bihar Administrative Service Association and a protest by lower-rung officials in the state, who turned up for duty wearing black badges.