PATNA: Trouble has deepened for Bihar’s former director general of police (DGP) Sanjeev Kumar Singhal after the state police’s anti corruption wing- Economic Offences Unit (EOU)- recommended initiating disciplinary action against him for serious lapses in the recruitment of contsbles to state police force. Additional Director General (ADG) of the EOU wrote to the newly appointed DGP Alok Raj asking him to initiate disciplinary action against Singhal after allegations against him regarding leaking question papers for constable recruitment exam and accepting bribery for granting the contract for printing question papers were found to be true. “It’s now upto the DGP and the state government to take action against Singhal,” said a senior IPS officer heading the EOU.According to sources, the probe agency was not satisfied with the answers of questionnaire sent to the former DGP to get his version on the issue.Singhal, a 1988 batch IPS officer, was posted as the chairman of the central selection board (constable recruitment), within a month of his retirement from service in December 2022. The examination for the recruitment of constables was held in October 2023. Following the examination, complaints regarding question paper leak surfaced from 74 centres across the state. Initially, Singhal denied the allegations of leak and termed them baseless. However, after much hue and cry, the state government finally asked economic offences unit (EOU) to investigate the allegations and submit a report. The examination was later cancelled on the findings of the EOU. A case was also registered against Singhal. Following this, Singhal was removed from the central selection board in December 2023. The EOU, in its investigation, found that the former state police chief had accepted cut money from the private companies that were awarded contract of printing the question papers.Though the companies were newly formed, they were awarded the contract of printing question papers throwing the prescribed norms to the wind. These companies were also awarded contract of printing question papers of constable recruitment examination (in state excise and prohibition department). Surprisingly, while being investigated, in March 2024, Singhal was appointed as advisor to Bihar State Power Holding Company Ltd. EOU, in the meantime, has submitted its chargesheet against Singhal in the special vigilance court in Patna.
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