Bihar DGP Gupteshwar Pandey takes voluntary retirement, likely to join NDA ahead of assembly polls

Bihar's Director General of Police (DGP), Gupteshwar Pandey, on Tuesday took voluntary retirement (VRS) from service, thereby triggering speculations of him potentially contesting in the state assembly polls. Pandey is likely to contest as a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, sources said

Bihar Governor Phagu Chauhan has also approved the request of state DGP Gupteshwar Pandey, seeking voluntary retirement from services.

Sanjiv Kumar Singhal, DG Civil Defence and Fire Services has been given the additional charge of DGP Bihar till further orders.

According to reports, Pandey's batch mate Sunil Kumar, who retired as DG earlier this year, has recently joined the Janata Dal (United) (JD-U) and is also likely to contest the Bihar assembly elections.

Earlier, in relation to the Sushant Singh Rajput death case, Pandey had alleged that Mumbai Police was not being fair in investigating the late actor's death.

He had also delivered several charged statements while commenting on the case. After the Supreme Court had ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the Sushant Singh Rajput death case, Bihar DGP Gupteshwar Pandey appeared jubilant about the Supreme Court verdict as, according to him, it proved that the Bihar Police was correct and that the way Mumbai Police behaved was illegal.

While answering a question on actor Rhea Chakraborty, Bihar DGP Gupteshwar Pandey had gone full throttle, raised his hands dramatically, and said, "Bihar ke mukhyamantri pe comment karne ki aukaat Rhea Chakraborty ki nahi hai" (Rhea Chakraborty does not have the authority to comment on Bihar Chief Minister).

Earlier, Bihar Police and Mumbai Police had engaged in a tug of war for an investigation into Rajput`s death. Notably, the Bihar government had already handed over the FIR lodged in Patna to the CBI earlier, while the Maharashtra government was opposing the handing over of the probe to the CBI. The Maha govt was contending that the Mumbai police should look into the matter.

An FIR was registered in Patna based on the complaint of Rajput`s father KK Singh against actress Rhea Chakraborty and others in several sections including abetment to suicide.

Later, the matter reached the Supreme Court which asked the CBI to investigate the case related to the actor`s death, while holding that the FIR registered in Patna was legitimate.