In Bihar, a woman IPS officer takes on top cop

Patna: It is khaki versus khaki again in Bihar and this time it involves a woman Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and the State Director General of Police (DGP).

The Bihar Police has written to the state Home Department asking for the suspension of 2006 batch IPS officer Anasuya Rana Singh Sahu. According to the state police, which has prepared a dossier on her stint in Sheikhpura, she was trying to collect money through her bodyguard and her driver.

The state police's economic offences wing tapped the mobile phones of both the constables for over two months, and based on the transcription, showcaused Ms Anasuya. She was transferred out of Sheikhpura last week, and has yet to be given a posting.

But Ms Anasuya has now decided to fight back. After replying to the showcause notice, today she decided to charge none other than state DGP Abhayanand, for targeting her for what she describes as refusing to his "unreasonable and wrong recommendation."

She also said that when her bodyguard and driver are prima facie responsible, then action should be taken against them and not against her. "When I'm responsible for my driver's illegal activities, then shouldn't the DGP also face action for my lapses, if any?" she asked.

Ms Anasuya also admitted that she has had heated exchange of words with her boss on two occasions over his pressure to implement what she describes as something which was not consistent with the law.

Today, when contacted, Mr Abhayanand refused to comment on the charges made against him, saying in Ms Anasuya's reply submitted to the state headquarters, these charges were not mentioned. "It's beyond my comprehension why such charges are being levelled in media," he said.

This episode has once again exposed how divided Bihar Police has become these days and how the state DGP is facing criticism from his own juniours. Earlier this month, during the state DGP's meeting in New Delhi, he faced a lot of criticism from fellow colleagues when he read out his paper "riot vs lathi" on how to control mob without using minimum force.

Nitish Kumar takes the lead, drops diesel prices in Bihar

Patna: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has decided to cut local taxes in Bihar to make diesel prices 85 paise cheaper. Last week, in an attempt to reduce fuel subsidies, the centre increased the price of diesel by Rs. 5, excluding Value-Added Tax (VAT). The price hike was part of a series of big-bang reforms that included limiting the supply of subsidised cooking gas to households and opening up the retail sector to foreign super-market chains like Wal-Mart.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has quit the PM's coalition over these economic measures, citing them as "anti-people" policies. Sources in the Congress say the government is leaning towards a 50-paise rollback in diesel prices, and increasing subsidised gas cylinders from six to nine per household. The party has also suggested that Ms Banerjee could drop state taxes to lower the price of diesel. She has angrily rejected that option on the grounds that her state is broke.

Diesel prices had shot upto Rs. 50.80 per litre in Bihar. With the discount he has thrown in today, Mr Kumar has stolen the centre's thunder should it decided to drop prices soon. The chief minister is on a tour of the state to highlight his campaign to get "special status" for Bihar, a petition rejected by the centre earlier this year. His decision to make diesel cheaper will be used at rallies to claim that his government intervenes when the centre ignores the needs of the aam admi or common man. Due to the VAT reduction, the total loss to state exchequer will be Rs. 118 crore.

Without Ms Banerjee, the UPA is in a minority. Mr Kumar belongs to the opposing coalition, the NDA, which is led by his partner in Bihar, the BJP. Yesterday, he declared that his support in the next general election will extend to whoever promises "special status" for Bihar, which would make it eligible for special financial packages from the centre along with assistance in attracting private investment. The chief minister, who has 22 of Bihar's 40 Lok Sabha seats, said Bihar will be a major player in deciding who comes to power next in Delhi. Mr Kumar's remarks - which suggested he is up for grabs - shook up the BJP, which insists that he remains anti-Congress. But if Mr Kumar is open to wooing, the Congress has shown it's interested. "Several states including UP, Bihar need special packages, so we will have to discuss," Congress General Secretary Digvijaya Singh told NDTV. 

From: NDTV

Did Nitish Kumar just put NDA on notice? His comment suggests he's up for grabs

Patna: With the UPA government reduced to a minority after Mamata Banerjee's withdrawal, political alignments are shaping and reshaping themselves virtually by the hour. And regional parties are looking at pushing their agendas and demands in the politically uncertain situation. Though it is the Congress which is in most pain right now, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA got a bit of kick in the shins as well.

It came from Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, who said that his party, the Janata Dal (United) was willing to support whoever gave the state special status. "Whoever supports special status for Bihar, we will support them at the Centre," Mr Kumar said.

His party, which is in alliance with the BJP in Bihar, has 22 MPs in Parliament, three more than the exiting Trinamool Congress. He said that Bihar, which has 40 Lok Sabha seats, will play a lead role in deciding who comes to power next.
 And if Mr Kumar indicated his party was available, the Congress suggested it was available. "Several states including UP, Bihar need special packages, so we will have to discuss," Congress General Secretary Digvijaya Singh told NDTV. He also said that Mr Kumar had "proved" his secular credentials several times, while pointing out that he was the Railway Minister during the Godhra riots in 2002.

But JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav, who is also the NDA convener, made light of Mr Kumar's remark. "I speak to Nitish Kumar three times a day... He is usually three-four places ahead of me so what can I say about what he has said... there is nothing of the sort," he said.

The BJP, which leads the NDA coalition, of which Mr Kumar's JD(U) is a key constituent, downplayed the latter's remark. "You misunderstood what he (Nitish Kumar) was saying. He was taunting the Congress as there was a request for special assistance earlier. There is nothing more to it," said BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar.

Earlier this year, the Centre rejected the 'special status' tag for Bihar which would entitle the state to large loans, major tax concessions, financial packages, infrastructure development, and a concerted effort by the Centre to boost private investment in Bihar. Mr Kumar's administration says that when Bihar was bifurcated in 2000, it lost a significant part of its natural resources to the new state of Jharkhand. In retaliation to the Centre's refusal, Mr Kumar began his Adhikar Yatra (Rights March) from Bettiah in West Champaran district today. It will culminate on November 4 with a rally in Patna, the first since in the state capital in nearly seven years.

Over the last few months, the relationship of the BJP and the JD(U) has been disturbed by the chief minister's remarks against senior BJP leader Narendra Modi. Mr Kumar has said that as the largest party in the ensemble, the BJP has the prerogative of picking the coalition's prime ministerial candidate. However, he has warned that he will exit the group if the BJP makes Mr Modi its nominee. 18% of Bihar is Muslim, and their vote is crucial for Mr Kumar. He has stressed that the NDA's prime ministerial candidate must have secular credentials - a thinly-veiled remark against Mr Modi, whose ambitions to move to the national landscape from Gujarat are hampered by the communal riots in his state in 2002.

Police brutality caught on camera in Bihar, man dragged by his hair

Munger: A shocking incident has come to light in Bihar's Munger district where the policemen have been caught on camera manhandling an accused.

According to the police, they were solving a dispute between two men when the incident happened. One of the men, the cops allege, was in an inebriated state and armed with an illegal pistol and live cartridges. He started a fight with the policemen, following which the police, along with local people, beat him brutally till he fell unconscious.

The policemen then took the young man to the hospital in a cycle rickshaw; a cop sat in the rickshaw with his feet on the chest of the man. The policeman further dragged him by his hair in the hospital.

Nitish Kumar strikes back at Uddhav Thackeray

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today said he was amazed by Uddhav Thackeray's remarks that Shiv Sena will not support Mr Kumar as NDA's Prime Ministerial candidate for protesting the arrest of an accused by the Mumbai police from Bihar and asked who has sought Sena's support and for what.

"Ek adbhut bayan ek neta ka aya hai (an amazing statement has come from a leader)," he said referring to Mr Thackeray's rant against him for expressing disapproval of the manner of arrest of an accused from Bihar by the Mumbai police without informing the local police last week.

"Bina soche samjhe bolne ki paripari ban gayi hai (a trend has been set up for speaking without applying mind)....kabhi kabhi hansi aati hai (one at times wants to laugh at such things)," he said.

"Kaun samarthan mang raha hai (who is asking for support)," Mr Kumar asked, referring to Uddhav Thackeray's comments.

"I am not in the fray for NDA's Prime Ministerial candidate," the Chief Minister said and slammed the Shiv Sena leader for saying that his party will not support Mr Kumar for supporting a "traitor". 

Uddhav Thackeray wants permit system for Biharis in Mumbai

MUMBAI: Unfazed by strident criticism of his cousin MNS leader Raj Thackeray over his anti-Bihari remarks, Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday sought a permit system to check influx of Bihari migrants into Mumbai.

Uddhav also declared that his party would not accept Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar as NDA's prime ministerial candidate if he continues to stick to his stand on supporting "traitors".

"The Bihar CM should have felt ashamed that the Amar Jawan memorial vandal turned out to be a Bihari," Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' on Tuesday quoted Uddhav as saying.

"If Mumbai Police needs Bihar Police's permission to nab criminals who have committed crime in Maharashtra and escaped to Bihar, then implement the permit system for those coming here from Bihar," Uddhav said.

By meddling in police action in the matter of a person from Bihar arrested in the Azad Maidan violence case, Nitish Kumar has fueled a controversy, he said.

Raj Thackeray had last week threatened to brand Biharis in Maharashtra as infiltrators.

Taking a dig at the MNS, Uddhav said, "If there are followers who are taking up Shiv Sena's issues like Marathi pride, issues of sons of soil and opposition to Pakistani artistes, it is good."

"However, there is no 'navnirman' (new creation) in taking up old issues," Uddhav said, in a pun on the word navnirman in the name of Raj Thackeray's outfit.

On Monday, Sena patriarch Bal Thackeray had said Bihar's chief secretary had no business interfering in the action taken by Mumbai Police to arrest a person accused of violence at Azad Maidan.

"Nitish Kumar should have congratulated Mumbai Police for their action as the arrest had prevented Abdul Qadir from fomenting more trouble in that state," he had said.