Patna, June 23: Chief minister Nitish Kumar is in no mood to compromise on the law and order front, going by last night's transfer of eight IPS officers, including four superintendents of police and two deputy inspectors-general.

Some field officers were issued marching orders hours after a high-level meeting chaired by Nitish assessed their performance on Monday.

Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Jitendra Rana and his counterparts in Vaishali and East Champaran, Chandrika Prasad and Sunil Kumar respectively, were among the IPS officers transferred late on Monday. Deputy inspector-general (DIG) of central range (Patna) Upendra Kumar Sinha and his Magadh range counterpart Shalin were also shifted.

Sources said the East Champaran superintendent of police (SP) Sunil Kumar and his Vaishali counterpart Chandrika Prasad were on the police headquarters' radar for the past two months for "poor performance".

"Chief minister Nitish Kumar has sent a clear message to non-performing officers holding key positions in the field (read districts). While non-performing officers have been sidelined, those with impeccable track record have been roped in. IPS officers known for their honesty and integrity have been given important assignments ahead of the Assembly poll," said a senior IPS officer.

Take the example of Vikash Vaibhav, a 2003 IPS officer who has been appointed Patna SSP. Vaibhav had returned from central deputation recently and was awaiting a posting at the police headquarters. He has served with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and was credited with cracking cases related to serial blasts in Bodhgaya and Patna in 2013. Before going on central deputation in 2011, he had served as Rohtas SP and Darbhanga SSP. A product of Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur, he also had a brief stint as Patna City SP in 2006. As Rohtas SP, he had launched community policing in Maoist areas, which yielded tangible results.

Shalin, a 2001-batch IPS officer, has been made DIG (central range), which comprises Patna and Nalanda. He has replaced Upendra Kumar Sinha, who has been shifted to the Bihar Military Police as its DIG. Shalin was recently in the news for taking tough action against inter-state truck entry mafia's Aurangazed, active on the Bihar-Jharkhand-Uttar Pradesh border.

Before returning to his parent cadre, Shalin was part of the security drafted for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his predecessor Manmohan Singh. He was posted with the special protection force (SPF) during his central deputation for five years. After his return from central deputation, he was posted with the state's anti-terrorism squad. He was appointed as DIG, Magadh range, in May but shifted from there in less than two months.

Another IPS officer, Ratan Sanjay Katiyar (1998 batch), who till recently was posted with the CBI, has been given field assignment. Ratan Sanjay has been made DIG, Magadh range. "He is a tough guy and has never compromised with his principles," a senior IPS officer said, referring to his "splendid" work done as Siwan SP.

He further said: "He (Ratan Sanjay) is the man who took stern action against controversial former RJD MP from Siwan, Mohammad Shahabuddin. He (Ratan Sanjay) was a terror for the goons of Shaheb, as the incarcerated former MP is popularly addressed in Siwan." A source, however, attributed inept handling of the situation arising out of violent clashes in Nalanda and Barh (Patna rural) as the reason behind Upendra Kumar Sinha's transfer.

A young IPS officer, Rakesh Kumar (2011 batch), has been made Vaishali SP, replacing Chandrika Prasad, who has been shifted to police academy as assistant director (training). Chandrika reportedly invited the chief minister's wrath after his cavalcade was stopped for a while on the northern end of Gandhi Setu recently. "His lackadaisical approach towards crime control in Vaishali, which is inflicted with crime and Maoist activity, cost him dearly and he was finally shown the door," a senior police officer said.

At an police function earlier, Nitish had warned that officers found to be lax would be stripped of field postings. The performance of such officers was being assessed by a select group of senior IPS officers after Nitish took over the reins again in February this year. "More heads are to likely roll in the days to come," a source said.