Patna, March 5: The Bihar police association has decided to celebrate Holi tomorrow after receiving what looked like positive vibes from the DGP and chief minister Nitish Kumar on the issue of 13-month pay.

Before relinquishing the post of chief minister on February 20, Jitan Ram Manjhi had decided to pay policemen 13 months’ salary a year. The decision was among 33 Manjhi had taken at the last three ministerial meetings. Nitish annulled all of them on Wednesday, following which policemen had threatened a state-wide strike from March 27. There are 90,000 policemen (excluding IPS officers) in Bihar.

Later today, the police association met director-general of police P.K. Thakur in this connection. The DGP later told The Telegraph: “They have been assured things will be looked into. They won’t go on a strike or not celebrate Holi tomorrow.”

Mritunjay Kumar, president of the Bihar Police Association, said: “We got a communication from ADG (HQ) Gupteshwar Pandey that the chief minister has decided to reconsider the decision. Hence, we will celebrate Holi tomorrow. But if the government does not relent, our stand stays clear as earlier.”

Pandey said there was “a communication gap. The government is positive. A decision will be taken as per procedure”.

Mritunjay had earlier said policemen in the state and their families would not celebrate Holi tomorrow in protest.

“Manjhi’s decision to provide 13 months’ salary to policemen was not taken in haste. It was a well thought-out one.

Now, Nitish has annulled the decision and this is unjust to the force, which works day in and out. In protest, our families will not celebrate Holi tomorrow. However, we will continue to perform our duty. We have given time till March 27 to the state government to reverse this decision or else we will start a state-wide strike,” Mrityunjay had said earlier.

Dhiraj Yadav, general secretary of the Bihar Policemen’s Association, had criticised the decision taken by Nitish on Wednesday. “We will withdraw cops engaged in the chief minister’s security. Also, all men, right from constables to inspectors, will stop working if the state government does not revert to the earlier decision. The whole state will see no policemen at all. All officers, constables, those with Bihar Military Police (BMP) and Special Task Force (STF), are associated with us. Anti-Maoist operations, too, will come to an end. Nitish should stop grinding us between his and Manjhi’s problems. We are mobilising our men in all districts and will act after March 27. Or may be earlier too,” Dhiraj Yadav had said.