Former Bihar DGP, who had ‘dared’ to take action against powerful RJD MP Shahabuddin, passes away

The 1967 batch IPS officer DP Ojha passed away early Friday. He made the news in 2003 when he was removed months before his retirement after he initiated Siwan strongman and RJD MP Mohammed Shahabuddin.

DP Ojha had made news in the closing years of the Rabri Devi regime when he was removed as the state DGP in December 2003. (Express Photo)

Former Bihar director general of police (DGP) DP Ojha, 82, who had once initiated action against the then ruling party RJD leader and Siwan MP Mohammed Shahabuddin, passed away early on Friday. He was the 1967 batch IPS officer.

Ojha had made news in the closing years of the Rabri Devi regime when he was removed as the state DGP in December 2003, two months before his scheduled retirement in February 2004. This allegedly came after he initiated the action against bahubali (strongman) leader Mohammad Shahabuddin, much to the displeasure of the RJD government.

Shahabuddin died in 2021.

A former Bihar DGP recalled: “Shahabuddin had been very powerful and there had hardly been any action being taken against him despite several pending criminal cases. Ojha dared to initiate action against the muscleman MP, infuriating CM Rabri Devi and RJD national president Lalu Prasad”.

Ojha was replaced by Waris Hayat.

He also courted controversy in 2003 after he had said at a public function that the people of Bihar “had handed power to lafangas (lumpen elements), who can touch the feet of jailed criminals”. Though Ojha had not named anyone in his speech, the ruling RJD had accused Ojha of violating his service code with his remarks.

A senior IPS officer added that DP Ojha had paved the way for the subsequent Nitish Kumar government to initiate a speedy trial against Mohammed Shahabuddin. Shahabuddin was later convicted in over half a dozen cases and was also disqualified from contesting Lok Sabha polls from 2009 onwards.

Ojha had a brief stint in politics and had contested 2004 Lok Sabha polls as an Independent candidate, but he was unsuccessful.

Santosh Singh

Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. Expertise He covers Bihar with main focus on politics, society and governance. Investigative and explanatory stories are also his forte. Singh has 25 years of experience in print journalism covering Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. ... Read More

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