Look who gains from Buta’s transfer spree: Siwan’s Shahabuddin

Shahabuddin faces more than 40 criminal cases, including those of murder, and his name triggers shivers in Siwan, if not across Bihar. But ever since the Election Commission had posted two no-nonsense officers—Chandrakant Kumar Anil as District Magistrate and Sanjay Ratn as Superintendent of Police—the MP and his men were running for cover.

The duo had, for the first time in years, enforced the law of the land in Shahabuddin’s fiefdom. But now, both officers have been ‘‘pulled out’’ of Siwan, although Buta Singh’s Chief Secretary G S Kang feels that they have been pushed out.

Anil is on deputation in Maharashtra and Ratn will take charge as Commandant of Bihar Military Police-5 in Patna, a posting which has little to do with crime and criminals.

In place of Ratn, a promoted-to-IPS officer has been asked to join in Siwan—just the kind the MP would have liked. But even the new man seems reluctant to go there; he has gone on sick leave.

But then, despite six warrants pending against him, Shahabuddin had enjoyed complete freedom in Buta’s Bihar, even outside Siwan limits. He travelled across the district as a star RJD campaigner, calling upon Muslims and others to vote for the RJD. And Buta’s policemen have not dared to touch him.

The six warrants were issued after the Siwan DM and SP raided Pratappur—Shahabuddin’s village—and recovered arms, ammunition and stolen vehicles. They even found an instance of power theft.

The cases against him have now been sent for review by IG (Tirhut Range), B S Jayant, himself an accused in a police uniform scandal case. Jayant has already made it clear that there was no sufficient evidence to book the MP, even after Pakistan-made cartridges were recovered from his home.

Buta Singh, in fact, had started undoing Bihar much earlier. The axe first fell in May on Anil and Gopalganj DM, K K Pathak, who had made life miserable for Laloo’s brother-in-law and local MP Sadhu Yadav. Despite an uproar from all quarters, the Governor defended his act, saying both the DMs had asked for the transfers.

But then, Sanjay kept the heat on Shahabuddin, who continued to be debarred from Siwan. After the departure of these two officers, Shahabuddin is back with a bang. He has now accused the two officers of being on a mission to harass him and charged that SP Ratn had killed 15 of his men during his five-month tenure.