PATNA: A day after Nitish government withdrew security personnel from the official residence of former
Bihar CM
Rabri Devi here; Rabri, her two sons including the Leader of Opposition
Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and all other
RJD legislators on Wednesday publicly announced to return their security cover in protest.
The state government on Tuesday late night withdrew 17 personnel of Bihar Military Police posted at 10, Circular Road, the official residence of Rabri and her husband RJD president Lalu Prasad, hours after a team of CBI officials from Delhi questioned Rabri in a case related to the IRCTC’s land-for-hotel scam.
State’s police headquarters and the ruling JD (U), however, defended the withdrawal of security personnel from Rabri’s residence, claiming the house guards were provided in the name of security of her husband Lalu Prasad. “The security personnel were withdrawn as Lalu is currently under judicial custody after his sentencing in a series of fodder scam cases,” a senior police officer said.
Earlier in the day, Rabri wrote a hard-worded letter to CM
Nitish Kumar in which she said that withdrawal of house guards has “demolished” the security cover of her residence and family.
“As soon as my husband was sent to jail on December 23, all the security personnel deployed in his security were withdrawn by the state government. Those who remained were part of the security cover provided to me and the residence allotted to me in the capacity of former CM,” Rabri wrote in her letter. TOI has a copy of the letter.
She further wrote, "I am herewith returning all security personnel and escort vehicles deployed at my residence. If anything untoward happens to me or my family members, the state home department and the minister in-charge of home shall be held responsible.” It may be noted that Nitish is holding the home portfolio in Bihar.
After sending her letter to the CM officer, Rabri on Wednesday asked all the security personnel to leave her residence but the guards refused to leave the place on the plea that they could not shift anywhere without a written order from their respective controlling officers. Similarly, security personnel of Tejashwi, Tej Pratap and some other RJD legislators have refuse to “go away” without order from their controlling officers.
An eyewitness at Rabri's residence said, the former CM and her associates asked the security personnel to leave the place, but the guards refused to do so without a proper order from police headquarters.
