Jharkhand DGP post turned into ‘shield against corruption’, alleges Marandi

BJP state president and Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi on Saturday charged that the Hemant Soren government has turned the DGP’s office into a shield to protect itself from corruption, stalling police promotions and triggering a standoff with the UPSC. He alleged that appointing Anurag Gupta, a retired officer not recognised by the UPSC or the Union Home Ministry, has left Jharkhand’s police and administration “hostage to political interests.”

Marandi described the controversy as the latest flashpoint between the ruling JMM-led coalition and the BJP. He said the government had “held the police and administration hostage” by forcing through an appointment that neither the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) nor the Union Home Ministry has recognised.

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According to Marandi, the decision has stalled routine police promotions, leaving 17 senior DSPs waiting for months. He warned that such delays were undermining morale in the force and would eventually affect law and order across the state.

He pointed out that the UPSC had refused to include Gupta’s name in the promotion board and subsequently cancelled the meeting itself. Despite this, he said, the state government continued to back a retired officer who is drawing a salary on a conditional basis.

“The DGP’s chair has become a political tool and a protective cover,” Marandi said, alleging that the post was being used to suppress corruption probes. He argued that the government had weakened the state’s institutions by bypassing procedure and misusing constitutional offices for political survival.