LoP Marandi Terms Gupta's Continuation as DGP ‘illegal’

Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi said on Friday that Jharkhand had been functioning without a director general of police (DGP) since May 1, alleging that the continuation of Anurag Gupta in the top post after his retirement on April 30 was "illegal".

- Vishal Kant

RANCHI: Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi said on Friday that Jharkhand had been functioning without a director general of police (DGP) since May 1, alleging that the continuation of Anurag Gupta in the top post after his retirement on April 30 was "illegal".

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, Marandi, who is also the serving president of the Jharkhand unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), also alleged that chief minister Hemant Soren was backing the officer—whom he had once suspended for 26 months—as he was protecting officials under the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) scanner in the state and shielding other illegal trade activities for financial gains. "The Union home ministry wrote to the state government on April 22, informing that Gupta was due to retire on April 30. As per the All India Services rules, an IPS officer retires at the age of 60 unless an extension is granted by the central government. So technically, Gupta retired on April 30," he said.