Tirhut range inspector-general Gupteshwar Pandey at the chief minister’s janata darbar in Patna on Monday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Patna, April 4: Language can transcend barriers and this is precisely what unfolded at the chief minister’s janata darbar today. Inspector-general (IG) of Tirhut zone Gupteshwar Pandey spoke to complainants at 1 Aney Marg, the official residence of chief minister Nitish Kumar, in all possible languages.

When an 80-year-old woman from Muzaffarpur started speaking in Maithili, it was not possible for the other officers to decipher what she was saying. But Pandey came to their rescue. He not only understood what she said, but even spoke to her in the same dialect. The woman was relieved that someone was there who could understand her problem.

Similarly, Dinanath Tiwari from Bhagalpur, who speaks only in Magahi, came to Pandey and explained his problems.

Pandey told The Telegraph: “People have a mindset that police officers do not listen to their problems properly but I firmly believe language is one of the reasons for that. If a police officer speaks in the same language as that of the complainant the communication becomes effective. You have to understand their emotions and feelings.”

He added: “I speak most of the languages and dialects spoken in the state and that is why I connect with people better. I make it a point to take interest in their problems. I may not be able to attend to all cases but if an officer is making a personal visit to the spot and speaking to them in their language, they feel happy and relieved. Any person visiting the chief minister’s janata darbar will not feel cheated then. It’s my duty to look into their problems.”

Pandey can speak Maithili, Bhojpuri, Sanskrit, English and Hindi. An MA in Sanskrit from Patna University, he took the Union Public Service Commission examination in Hindi. He organises state-level mushairas in Urdu and is also fond of bhajans and kirtans. “This is in my nature and I believe I have succeeded in this practice so far. Speaking in the complainant’s language is not enough, your expressions and tone are as important as the language,” Pandey said.

Interestingly, Pandey was very popular when he was the superintendent of police of Begusarai, a Naxalite-affected zone. He used to disguise himself and roam around the city to nab criminals. When communal tension had gripped Sitamarhi during the regime of Lalu Prasad, he was the deputy inspector-general of Tirhut zone and had played a significant role in pacifying the situation. Lalu had even congratulated him.

The Indian Police Service officer of the 1987 batch is as extrovert as one can get. He wanted to enter politics and had even sought voluntary retirement under the voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) when he was inspector-general (security). He wanted to contest the 2009 parliamentary election on a BJP ticket from Buxar parliamentary constituency but he did not get it. After nine months of taking VRS, he was reinstated.