Patna, Jan. 1: There is more to the sexual exploitation charge on Bihar cadre IPS officer Pushkar Anand than meets the eye.

Anand claimed that the charge levelled on him by a sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) was the fallout of his refusal to remove the name of an assistant superintendent of police (ASP) from an attempt to murder case. The ASP, Manoj Kumar Yadav, is said to be an acquaintance of former Bhabua SDPO, Nirmala Kumari.

A 2009-batch IPS officer, Annand was removed from the post of Kaimur superintendent of police (SP) after the SDPO lodged a complaint of sexual exploitation and harassment against him on December 29. Anand, shunted to Mounted Military Police (MMP) headquarters at Ara, reportedly told the senior officers at the state police headquarters that he had to bear the brunt of the lady officer for his refusal to remove the name of the ASP from the case.

Nirmala has been shifted to Saharsa based battalion of the Bihar Military Police.

A source said an FIR was lodged with the Bhagwanpur police station against then Kaimur ASP (operations) Manoj and six others under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 364 (kidnapping for murder), 380 (theft), 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt) and 149 (unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code on December 20 last year based on the statement of Sushila Devi, daughter of one Hariwanshi Singh Kushwaha.

Kushwaha, a resident of Awasan village under the jurisdiction of Bhagwanpur police station, was seriously injured in a violent clash with his neighbour Lalita Yadav over draining out filthy water. He later died at a hospital in Varanasi on December 23.

Lalita, considered close to the ASP, also died in the clash on December 12.

Kushwaha's daughter Sushila alleged in the FIR that the then ASP, along with Angad Singh Yadav, Shiv Jay Yadav, Nirmal Yadav, Jitendra Yadav, Sanjay Yadav and Birbal Yadav, barged into her house on December 12, held her father captive and brutally assaulted him, leading to his death.

'The then ASP (operations) misused his official position to help his acquaintance Lalita,' an investigating officer said, adding that he left Kaimur on December 23 only when the then SP ordered to initiate action against the accused in the case.

ASP Manoj was, significantly, transferred from Kaimur on July 16, 2014. But he not only had refused to hand over the official vehicle to his successor Rajiv Ranjan (who assumed charge on July 18, 2014) but also turned down the latter's request to vacate the official bungalow.

The source said the then Bhabua SDPO, Nirmala, was initially reluctant to lodge the case against Manoj as they had cordial relationship. The written complaint submitted by Sushila against Manoj remained under wraps for about a week. The case was lodged on December 20 after the intervention of the then SP Anand.

Anand had earlier told The Telegraph that he was being pressurised by his subordinate (read SDPO) to remove the name of the then ASP from the case. 'I have apprised the officials concerned of the matter. Let them take a decision. I hope truth will finally prevail,' he added.

Former Babhua SDPO Nirmala trashed the allegations and said Anand was trying to give a twist to the case. 'I am still firm on my stand,' she said, adding that a complaint had been lodged and the matter was being probed by a three-member committee headed by an IG-rank officer.

Taking cognisance of the matter, the police headquarters had formed a three-member panel comprising Anupama Nilekar S. Chandra, Harpreet Kaur and Rajesh Kumar to probe the charges against the former Kaimur SP. The panel has issued notices to both the complainant and the accused, the source said.

The Bihar Human Rights Commission (BHRC), which also took suo motu cognisance of the complaint with regard to the sexual exploitation, said the committee was not constituted according to the provisions of the Sexual Harassment at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. 'I have asked the DGP (director-general of police) P.K. Thakur to look into the matter,' BHRC chairman Justice Bilal Nazki said.

Former additional SP (operations) Manoj could not be contacted for his comments despite repeated attempts.