Patna: The Bihar government on Wednesday ordered a reshuffle in the state police administration, transferring five IPS officers and assigning new responsibilities to another senior police officer, according to a notification issued by the Home Department (Police Branch).

Source: IANS via hi INDiA

Among the key changes, Khagaria Superintendent of Police (SP) Bhanu Pratap Singh has been removed from his post and directed to report to the Bihar Police Headquarters (PHQ) in Patna with immediate effect. He will remain at the headquarters pending a fresh posting. Shailendra Singh, currently serving as SP of Sheohar, has been transferred and appointed as the new SP of Khagaria, while Mohibullah Ansari, who was serving as City SP of Muzaffarpur, has been appointed as the new SP of Sheohar.

In another change, Aprajit, a 2020-batch IPS officer, has been transferred from his position as Commandant of Bihar Special Armed Police-16, Patna, where he was also holding the additional charge of SP (Law and Order), Bihar. He has been appointed as Aide-de-Camp (Police) to the Governor at the Governor's Secretariat in Patna. Kumari Mamta Kalyani, a recently promoted IPS officer serving as Commandant of Bihar Special Armed Police-10, Patna, has been given the additional charge of Commandant of Bihar Special Armed Police-16.

Singh, a 2021-batch IPS officer, had recently been in the news following a dispute with his wife. His wife has lodged a written complaint at a women's police station in Patna alleging harassment by him and members of his family, and the Bihar State Commission for Women had summoned him on October 26, according to reports. She has also protested outside the Khagaria SP's residence and near the Chief Minister's residence in Patna. These are her allegations; they have not been established by any court or inquiry, and the reports of the transfer carried no response from Singh. In October, she had also told reporters she sought reconciliation and did not want the dispute to affect his career.

The reshuffle changes the police leadership of Khagaria and Sheohar districts. Earlier, in August, the Bihar government had carried out a major police reshuffle involving 17 IPS officers, including the SPs of Bhojpur and Siwan, where police actions had triggered controversies. The latest transfers are part of the state government's continuing administrative changes in the police establishment.