Patna, Dec. 9: Past record seems to be haunting two senior police officers of Bihar even after their retirement. The government has ordered 10-20 per cent reduction in their pension.

The prosecuting officers, who were appointed by the government to conduct departmental proceedings, have found two former deputy superintendents of police (DSPs) — Ziauddin Ahmad and D.N. Rajak — guilty of negligence (dereliction of duty). Ahmad enjoyed political clout because of connections during the Lalu-Rabri regime.

While Ahmad faced departmental action for forwarding verification reports of about half-a-dozen passport applicants of Nalanda, including that of a Dubai-based terrorist, without examining veracity of the documents, Rajak had to face proceedings for negligence in a custodial death.

Sources in the home department said Ahmad had forwarded the passport applications of six applicants identified as Ajay Kumar, Sweta Jain, Danish Kumar, Salma Khatoon, Mohammad Iqbal and Farhan Mallik alias Aftab Alam when he was posted as DSP (headquarters) in Nalanda. Mallik, whose name figured in the sensational kidnapping cases of half-a-dozen prominent businessmen of Bengal, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, was issued passport from the regional passport office in Patna in 1999 on the basis of forged documents.

Mallik, said to be the mastermind behind the attack on the American Center in Calcutta, had submitted his domicile certificate of Biharsharif in Nalanda district. After much hue and cry over the issuance of the passport to Mallik, the case was handed over to the CBI. The officials of the investigating agency quizzed Ahmad.

“Though the CBI gave a clean chit to Ahmad, departmental proceedings were initiated against him for lapses on his part,” said a senior police officer posted at the state police headquarters. Ahmad was served a showcause notice in 2009. Mallik was brought to Patna from Calcutta for his production in a Biharsharif court in connection with the fake passport case last month. Unsatisfied with Ahmad’s explanation, the prosecuting officer, who was a superintendent of police-rank officer, submitted his report recommending action against him. The government later decided to realise 10 per cent from his pension amount.

Rajak’s case is, however, different from that of Ahmad. Rajak was suspended for dereliction of duty when he was posted as DSP (headquarters) in Palamu district (now in Jharkhand) in undivided Bihar. A case under Section 304 of the IPC was lodged with Panki police station in connection with the death of Parasnath in police custody.

Rajak had supervised the case. As the death in police custody generated much heat, the case was handed over to the CBI for investigation. The officer had to surrender in Ranchi court after an arrest warrant was issued against him in 2006.

Later, the government initiated departmental proceedings against Rajak. The prosecuting officer held him guilty of negligence. The government later ordered 20 per cent cut from his pension money.