Action likely against four IPS officers

Patna: The state government is contemplating to initiate action against some police officials, including a few IPS officers, for allegedly giving false supervision report which helped a particular community after the Bhagalpur riots in 1989.
Sources said the N N Singh inquiry commission has recommended action against the IPS officers, most of whom now belong to Jharkhand cadre, nine DSPs and several inspectors and SIs. The commission, among other things, examined whether Muslims had to make distress sale of their land/houses before they fled, who were the purchasers and whether there were lapses on the part of police which led to exodus of Muslims.
Principal secretary (home) Amir Subhani told TOI that the action taken report (ATR) on the commission’s recommendations would be tabled during the forthcoming assembly session. He, however, refused to divulge the names of the IPS officers against whom the government is likely to take action. Sources said the IPS officers who reportedly figure in the commission’s report are M V Rao, P R K Naidu and Sheelbhadra Singh (all belonging to Jharkhand cadre) and R K Mishra (Bihar cadre).
After the Bhagalpur riots, two judicial inquiry commissions were constituted under two different regimes. The first three-member commission, headed by Justice R N Prasad, was constituted in 1990, which had not named these IPS officers. Later, during Lalu Prasad regime, main riot accused Kameshwar Yadav was exonerated and later rewarded.
In 2006, the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government had constituted N N Singh Commission to examine, among other things, whether Muslims were forced to make distress sales of their assets and to identify who were the purchasers. It was then that four IPS officers and several junior police officials were identified for allegedly manipulating the supervision report, which helped in release of some accused persons. Sources further said N N Singh Commission has also questioned the role of Kameshwar Yadav in the riot.