After the Supreme Court snub to Bihar Government, the Nitish Kumar Administration has finally directed the Vigilance Department of the State to immediately fix responsibility and take action against the conspirators that led to the arrest and a month’s jail of a young IAS officer on alleged corruption charges during his first posting in Bhabhua district. The Nitish Government has acted after the officer moved the Centre requesting change of cadre.

The Supreme Court, the Patna High Court and Bihar Administration all have held that there was a criminal conspiracy against the 2013 batch IAS Dr Jitendra Gupta by the Bihar Vigilance Department and the ‘Entry Mafias’ who made huge money from the truckers at inter-state Bihar borders.

The Bihar Government on May 21, 2017 asked the Principal Secretary Vigilance to unravel the truth and expose all the officials and the nexus of the ‘Entry Mafias’ against whom the action was sought almost a year ago by the CM itself.

Gupta was the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Mohaniya in Bhabua district where as per the direction of the Government, he had taken stern action against the wrong doers. But to get him out of the way, the ‘Entry Mafia’ lodged a vigilance complaint alleging that the officer had accepted a bribe and consequently, an FIR was lodged against Gupta who spent about a month in jail last July.

Sources said it has come to light, Nitish too was kept in dark by his officials about the complainant in the matter who were none other than the Mafias against whom several cases are pending in the State and who has served in jail too.

“Yes it evident now that there has been a nexus of Vigilance Department and senior officials are involved along with the Mafia who collect money from truck operators crossing the borders of Bihar. With allegations of Jungle Raj again being made, the CM would be personally monitoring the case and get the culprits booked. The CM was candid enough to reveal in front of the IAS Officers’ Association, which had met him to submit a memorandum in favour of Gupta, that the Bihar Vigilance moved Supreme Court without his (Nitish Kumar) consent,” said a Principal Secretary in Bihar Government.

The Mafias involved are Arvind Kumar alias Munna Singh from Kaimur near Gaya and Mahendra Pandey who was planted outside the residence of Gupta during the raid and search in his house to instigate the crowd against the official with a plan to attack him and his family members which includes a girl infant.

last month, the Supreme Court set a three-month deadline for the Centre to look into the grievances of Gupta. The apex court gave him a clean chit and a subsequent departmental inquiry also cleared him. Fearing for his life and that of his family, Gupta has since sought a cadre change and written to the Home Ministry and DoPT.

For its part, conceding that all proceedings against Gupta were unlawful and unprecedented, the Nitish Kumar Government on April 21, 2017 regularized the period of his incarceration which is almost a year now and ordered the restoration of his full salary.