Bihar hunting for 145;molestation146; DIG

The incident involving the alleged molestation of an IPS officer8217;s wife by a Railway DIG on a running train seems to be turning into yet another

The incident involving the alleged molestation of an IPS officer8217;s wife by a Railway DIG on a running train seems to be turning into yet another clash between the Railways and the state Government, headed by political rivals Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar respectively.

While the Railways has refused to take any action against Railway Protection Force DIG P S Rawal till the probe against him is completed, the Bihar Government8217;s Railway Police have launched a hunt for him. Sources said several places had already been raided. 8220;Efforts are on to arrest the DIG accused,8221; Railway SP Patna, Ajitabh Kumar said.

An FIR was lodged on Tuesday with the state

Government8217;s Railway Police Station at Patna and thereafter IG Railways Bihar, Ambrik Singh Nimbram, had ordered the

arrest of Rawal.

Asked whether the state Government would be sending a team to New Delhi to arrest Rawal, Nimbram said every step was being taken to facilitate the arrest. RPF DG M K Sinha had said Rawal, posted at the railway headquarters in New Delhi, had reached there. Sinha had also ruled out any action against the DIG till the probe report was received.

The state Government8217;s Railway Police were bent upon arresting DIG despite the fact that the Section under which he has been booked is bailable.

The FIR against Rawal has been lodged under Section 354 of IPC assault or criminal force on a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty.

Sources said initially there were efforts to hush up the matter. But since it involved an IAS officer of the state, Vandana Preyasi, it was decided that a complaint should be lodged. Initially the FIR was to be transferred to the Mughalsarai GRP, but later it was taken up by the Bihar Government8217;s Railway Police.

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The Railways too initially had refused to take the matter seriously but by Tuesday evening it had constituted a probe. None other than Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav initially went on record declaring that the incident was baseless and blown out of proportion. Later in the day, he changed track and charged his RPF DG of misleading him.