After one-and-a-half yrs in jail, Pandey back to work

Pandey first reported to the CBI court in the morning and then reached the DGP office by 12 pm.

IPS officer P P Pandey appears before a special CBI court. (Source: Express Photo by Javed Raja)

It was homecoming for Gujarat ADGP (law and order) P P Pandey, an accused in the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case, who was released on bail on February 5, who rejoined duty at the DGP office in Gandhinagar on Thursday, after spending one-and-a-half years in prison.

Pandey first reported to the CBI court in the morning and then reached the DGP office by 12 pm. On his arrival, the officials in the DGP office welcomed him warmly. Before taking over the charge, Pandey met state DGP P C Thakur and other senior officers, who have worked with him in the last 30 years of his service.

Dressed in a blue suit and a checkered cap, Prithvi Pal Pandey walked into the recently renovated, brightly-coloured chamber of the ADGP (Law & Order) and took the charge. Some of his old colleagues and admirers brought bouquet of flowers. He was seen happily greeting all and striking up long conversations with his old counterparts at the office.

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The officials at the DGP office said that Pandey’s day was spent in meeting officials as a part of the protocol and holding meetings with his assistant and others to take a grip on the ongoing work.

One of the senior officers, close to Pandey and also posted at DGP office, said, “He is a well-read and an intelligent man. We all loved working with him. We used to sit with him for a conversation and within minutes he would help us learn something new that we weren’t aware of. He is also very warm and loving which makes even his juniors like him a lot. The staff at the agencies or offices wherever he was posted still wishes to work with him.”

Some of Pandey’s old colleagues said that Pandey’s comeback was expected since they knew he had got “trapped” in the case. An officer said, “He is reserved and disciplined. He is strict, but not rude. However, he was someone who believed in the line of discipline and following orders a lot. I believe that he just got trapped in that line of order. He is someone who hardly interferes in anyone’s work or hankers for fame. He would not have done things for greed.” He added: “Now, he is more confident and a strong man.”

On Thursday, Pandey remained surrounded by several visitors from police and various professions who came from faraway districts to see him. A 1980-batch IPS officer, Pandey is now one of the senior additional DGPs in the state handling an important profile of law and order.

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Sources said that Pandey was asked to look into the immediate clashes and incidents of violence reported in major cities in the last few months. Officers also discussed the law and order situation with him to work out on newer plans to maintain peace in a few districts witnessing more crime cases.

Pandey had last held the post of the ADGP CID (Crime) when he was arrested by the CBI in the 2004 Ishrat Jahan encounter case and lodged in Sabarmati Central Jail.

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