Patna, Aug. 28: About a dozen IPS officers of the state are in trouble following the state government’s sudden decision to handover the probe into the alleged irregularities in the recruitment of constables in 2004 to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The home department issued a directive to the state police headquarters three days ago asking it to submit a report in the required format so that the matter could be handed over to the CBI. Director-general of police (DGP) Neel Mani confirmed the receipt of the home department’s letter.

The state police headquarters is surprised over the sudden development in the issue. “We have sought more clarifications from the home department as it is not clear on what basis such a letter has been issued and a report sought,” a senior police officer said.

He said things would be clear only after receiving the reply of the home department. “There is neither any report pending at the state police headquarters nor any FIR lodged against anyone in connection with the constables’ recruitment,” the officer added.

Sources said former DGP Anand Shankar submitted a report to the home department in February 2010, a couple of days before his retirement, indicating gross violation of the procedure in the appointment of constables.

In fact, the government had constituted three separate committees comprising senior IPS officers, including Anand Shankar, Manoje Nath, Abhayanand and Ajit Dutt in November 2005. Manoje, who was asked to look into the procedural lapses in the selection of the candidates, submitted his report in December 2007. Anand and Dutt have both retired from service.

Manoje, however, refused to put his signature on the joint report as he differed from the findings of the other members of the committee. As a result, the report remained under wraps for a long time. “Anand sent a report to the home department without the signature of other members on the last day in the office,” a source in the state police headquarters said.

During investigations, it came to light that while other recruitment boards had only prepared the merit list of the candidates, a committee constituted in Purnea range completed the entire process in haste and allowed the candidates to join the force.

“The audacity of the members of the board can be gauged from the fact that they sent the selected candidates to Constable’s Training School at Nath Nagar in Bhagalpur for training,” a police officer, who was associated with recruitment of the constables, said.

“Many heads will roll if the state government recommends a CBI probe into the matter,” a senior IPS officer posted at the state police headquarters told The Telegraph.