Patna, July 14: IAS officers in Bihar are seething over the arrest of Jitendra Gupta, a 2013 batch Bihar cadre officer, on corruption charges.

Gupta, posted as sub-divisional officer of Mohania in Kaimur district, was arrested yesterday after a truck driver approached the state vigilance bureau, claiming that the officer was demanding money for releasing a seized vehicle. The bureau raided Gupta's residence and he was arrested after Rs 80,000 was seized from a driver attached to him who claimed he had collected the money on Gupta's behalf.

The Bihar branch of the IAS officers' association today expressed "deep anguish" at how Gupta was arrested. An officers' delegation will meet the governor and the chief minister to protest the arrest and the association will bear Gupta's legal expenses, it was decided at a meeting that over 50 officers attended and association president Amita Paul chaired.

"The high-handedness and hurried manner of arrest has brought the state of Bihar and its entire system of governance into disrepute, thereby making it increasingly difficult for conscientious public servants to discharge the duties as per the rule of law," the meeting decided in a resolution.

"The larger question is whether an officer can be held criminally liable for any act of omission or commission of others employed in her/his office. By this bizarre logic, all 'public servants' (including those holding the highest judicial/ legislative/executive offices) can be held conveniently culpable at the whims and fancies of any law enforcing agency or any other dispensation."

An officer of the rank of principal secretary told The Telegraph that the handling of the case "has sent a very wrong message to the bureaucrats".

"Nothing was found to corroborate the allegation levelled against the officer, but he was quizzed for hours and arrested. Is this rule of law?" the officer asked.

A source in the vigilance bureau claimed there was circumstantial evidence against Gupta and efforts would be made to collect substantial proof. "We recovered documents of the seized trucks from an official vehicle parked at Gupta's residence," the source added.

The state general administration department has initiated the process of suspending Gupta, who has maintained he is innocent. "The recommendation for suspension is being sent to the Centre as it is mandatory to do so if an IAS officer remains in judicial custody for more than 24 hours," said a source in the department.

"Field officials like me are really frightened in the wake of Gupta's arrest," said an IAS officer posted as district magistrate in a north Bihar district. "Now it will become really easy for any of our subordinates to frame us by accepting bribe and then telling the cops that they were doing it on behalf of their senior. How can one work if one is scared of such things?"

Recently retired IAS officer Afzal Amanullah said the arrest would be justified if there was concrete proof, "but to put someone behind bars solely on the statement of a person who has been caught with bribe money appears prima facie erroneous. Such acts also tend to demoralise bureaucracy".

Former chief minister Jagannath Mishra pointed out that even the judiciary had maintained that an arrest should be made only if there is concrete proof against a person.

"The state government appears to be hell bent on demoralising its officers and to make Bihar a police state," he said. "This is not a good omen for the state."

Several bureaucrats said the police seem to have been given a free hand to arrest people on the slightest pretext but do nothing when people from their own fraternity are involved.

"Cops didn't arrest Anusuiya Ransingh Sahu, who faced similar charges in a corruption case while working as Sheikhpura SP," said a senior bureaucrat considered close to chief minister Nitish Kumar.

"Another IPS officer Pushkar Anand is roaming free even though a departmental inquiry has proved his involvement in a sexual harassment case."

Asked if Gupta was arrested in haste, energy minister Bijendra Yadav said: "We have a zero-tolerance policy on corruption. The officer in question is facing a serious charge a thorough and impartial investigation will be carried out."

Asked why Sahu and Pushkar were not arrested, the minister said: "The nature of those cases is different."