Gupteshwar Pandey: In hot pursuit of Sushant Singh Rajput case, ex-DGP now eyes Bihar poll plunge

Gupteshwar Pandey (left) at an event in Patna (File)

The sudden decision of Gupteshwar Pandey, who has recently been in the spotlight for his frequent remarks on the Sushant Singh Rajput death case, to step down as Bihar DGP has led to buzz that he might take the political plunge in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, scheduled to be held in November.

Sources said Pandey is likely to contest the Assembly polls from Buxar and has been reportedly assured a ticket from the BJP. However, the 1987-batch IPS officer was tight-lipped on his future plans while addressing reporters on Wednesday.

“As for what I will do…people are coming from Buxar, Jehanabad, Begusarai, many other districts…people are coming to me. I will speak to people as to how they want my service and then take a decision. I have not joined any political party as of now and I have not taken any decision on it yet. As far as social work is concerned, I can do it without entering politics too,” Pandey said.

However, this is not the first time that Pandey has taken VRS from service. He had applied for voluntary retirement ahead of the 2009 Lok Sabha polls with the hope of contesting from Buxar as a BJP nominee. After being denied a ticket, he applied to take back his resignation.

Known for his religious inclinations and singing of patriotic songs at cultural functions, Pandey indicated his political inclination after he took on the Mumbai Police over the probe into Rajput’s death and questioned Rhea Chakraborty’s “aukaat“ to comment on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

“Bihar ke mukhyamantri pe comment karne ki aukaat Rhea Chakraborty ki nahi hai. What Bihar Police was doing was legally and constitutionally right. If there is a hope today for Sushant to get justice, it is because of Bihar CM’s support,” Pandey said after the actor alleged that the Nitish Kumar government was giving the case a political spin due to the elections in Bihar.

He was also very vocal in hitting out at the Mumbai Police after IPS officer Vinay Tiwari, who had been sent to Mumbai to monitor the Patna Police investigation, was quarantined after his arrival in Mumbai. He also accused the Mumbai Police of not giving “any cooperation in investigation”.

“Mumbai Police had not been cooperating with us. They quarantined our IPS officer who was sent to monitor the investigation. Our four-member Patna team had not been able to do anything substantial. Now that a CBI probe has been recommended, Mumbai Police would have to cooperate,” he had said.

Born in 1961 in Geruabandh village in Buxar district of Bihar, Pandey graduated from Patna University and went on to become an Income Tax officer after clearing the UPSC. In his second attempt, he cleared the IPS.

Pandey, who earlier served as SP in eight districts, including in Maoist-affected areas in undivided Bihar, has been instrumental in carrying out campaigns to influence youths to make the liquor ban successful. He was DG (training) before being given the charge of state DGP.

Known for his community policing measures during his stint as SP, DIG and IG, Pandey was also sent as a special officer to Aurangabad last year after rise in incidents of communal violence during and after Ram Navami. He has served as IG and ADGP for a long time in Tirhut range with headquarters at Muzaffarpur.

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App.