Firebrand top cop bothers Bihar dons

Patna, July 31: The Nitish Kumar government today appointed firebrand IPS officer D.N. Gautam as the state’s new director-general of police (DGP).

Gautam replaces S.C. Jha who retired today.

The appointment of Gautam as the top cop is believed to have caused anxious moments to the dons across party lines, as the 1974-batch IPS officer is famous for his unsparing attitude.

In fact, the successive governments throughout the eighties and nineties kept Gautam shunted, for dons-turned-politicos whose support were crucial for their survival, were never too fond of Gautam.

As the superintendent of police (SP) in the seventies, Gautam took on many infamous politicians.

The then Bihar chief minister, Jagannath Mishra, could be seen moving around in the jeep of one Hari Singh, a don-cum-Congress leader, who faced arrest warrants in cases of murder in Chapra.

Gautam, who was then the Chapra SP, caught Hari Singh soon after Mishra left north Bihar’s town and merrily sent him behind bars.

It was Gautam who ensured the first life-term conviction to political don Ranvir Yadav, nephew of the then MP, Ramsharan Yadav.

A massacre took place in Taufirdiara in Khagaria district when Gautam was the SP in the early eighties. Gautam charge-sheeted Ranvir Yadav for the massacre and the Supreme Court validated the conviction.

However, despite his capacity for strict vigilance, successive governments, including the Lalu-Rabri regime, kept Gautam on the sidelines for 25 long years.

Nitish Kumar gave him his first respectable responsibility in years by appointing Gautam as the additional director-general (police headquarters) three months ago.

“By appointing Gautam as the DGP today, the chief minister has sent out a clear message: that he would like the state’s authority to prevail,” remarked state JD(U) chief Lallan Singh.

However, sources in the ruling establishment believe that many of the dons-turned-MLAs belonging to the ruling NDA are unhappy with Nitish’s choice.

But, they expressed their reluctance to be quoted.
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