Patna, Feb. 27: The showdown between state IAS officers and the government over the arrest of Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC) chairman Sudhir Kumar shows no sign of let-up. Worse, the officers seem to have lost confidence in the chief minister.
The state IAS Officers' Association members today met Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Choudhary to plead their case, a day after they submitted a memorandum to Governor Ram Nath Kovind, formed a human chain on the Raj Bhavan premises and vowed to not follow any order - including from the chief minister - that was not communicated to them in writing. They also wore black ribbons to work today.
The officers want a CBI probe into the BSSC question paper leak over which Sudhir, a 1987-batch IAS officer, has been arrested. A special investigation team headed by Patna senior superintendent of police Manu Maharaaj is probing the case. The officers have already met Nitish Kumar with their demand, but clearly there is a trust deficit with the chief minister.
"As the CM didn't give any assurance and has not shared his views on our demand, we felt the need of apprising other dignitaries about the case," a senior IAS officer said. "Somewhere down the line faith erosion has taken place and the arrest of one of our fraternity members, who was cooperating with the cops, has shaken our confidence."
The association was trying to meet deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav and would not hesitate to meet Opposition leaders too, the officer said. "We need to tell people that how an IAS officer is being humiliated in the state," he added.
While Nitish has remained aloof, Tejashwi's father, RJD chief Lalu Prasad, has said Sudhir is an honest officer.
The confrontation in Patna is also reverberating in IAS circles in Delhi.
"Yesterday, a senior officer had thrown a lunch for serving and retired bureaucrats and all those who are connected to Bihar ended up discussing the arrest," said a serving Bihar-cadre IAS officer, who is on central deputation. "As far as I know, Sudhir has been an upright officer and police shouldn't have acted in haste in this case."
A principal secretary-rank officer was more direct: "We know what to do during a witch-hunt against our fraternity members. Now, we will avoid doing anything beyond the routine work and that too with lots of precautions which would definitely hit the pace of work in departments."
The all-India IAS Association's twitter handle today tweeted: "We stand by Bihar IAS Association in their demands for fairness and justice. Witch-hunt and harassment of IAS officers is dangerous."
A similar tussle between politicians and bureaucrats had erupted in 2002 when then transport department secretary N.K. Sinha was roughed up - allegedly by Sadhu Yadav, brother of then chief minister Rabri Devi - in his official chamber over a trivial issue.
"We had fought a pitched battle at that time and had also staged a protest march from martyrs' memorial near the state legislature building to Raj Bhavan wearing black badges to register our protest," said retired IAS officer Afzal Amanullah, who was then president of the IAS Officers' Association in Bihar.
Afzal recalled how a special branch sub-inspector had sneaked into a meeting of the IAS Officers' Association and was detained.
"The government reacted with vengeance and FIRs were lodged against all our office-bearers except me," Afzal recalled. "I barged into the chamber of then chief secretary Mukund Prasad and said that if the FIRs were not withdrawn, the association would take drastic steps."
The FIRs were eventually withdrawn.
"Sometimes one needs to take a tough stand to correct a wrongdoing," Afzal said.
