Patna darbar

The state police chief was travelling to Vaishali district to meet local traders there. Pandey escaped unhurt and went ahead with the meeting, part of a confidence building measure among commoners. For him, actions surely speak louder than words. 

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Bihar heaved a sigh of relief on Sunday when Director General of Police Gupteshwar Pandey narrowly escaped a hit from a speeding bus that rammed into his official car.

The state police chief was travelling to Vaishali district to meet local traders there. Pandey escaped unhurt and went ahead with the meeting, part of a confidence building measure among commoners. For him, actions surely speak louder than words.

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Since taking over as state police chief in February, Pandey has been on a mission to restore the police's image. On July 13, he ordered the arrest of two police officers - sub-inspectors (SI) Harendra Singh and Dharmendra Kumar - for demanding Rs 1 lakh as extortion from a truck driver in Gaya district.

On July 21 he ordered the arrest of as many as five policemen, including Beur Station House Officer Pravesh Kumar Bharti, for allegedly taking a Rs 1.5 lakh bribe from four criminals who had looted coins worth Rs 18.4 lakh and a pickup van, to set them free. The arrest of five policemen in one case is unprecedented in Bihar.

On July 30, SI Sanjeev Paswan and three other associates were arrested for allegedly extorting money from truck operators on NH-77 in Katihar district. On the eve of the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, Pandey wanted to join politics, a decision he subsequently withdrew to continue his life in khaki. A decade later, when Pandey took over as Bihar DGP, his decision has proven right for Bihar.

(The writer is senior associate editor, India Today magazine.)