Youths supporting IPS officer Vaibhav protest before Nitish Kumar

Patna, Feb 16 (IANS) A group of youths, supporting show-caused IPS officer Vikash Vaibhav, protested before Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Begusarai district on Thursday during the last day of his Samadhan Yatra.

The protesters demanded from Nitish Kumar that the officer not be penalised him.

The Bihar Home Ministry has served show cause notice to Vaibhav, the IG, Home Guards, after he uploaded a complaint against DG, Home Guards, Shobha Ahotkar on social media for airing internal departmental matters in the public domain. It has asked him to reply within 7 days.

As Nitish Kumar was heading towards the mini Secretariat in Begusarai as part of his Samadhan Yatra, over two dozen youths ran towards his car. However, the security forces present there swung into action and dispersed them.

The youths claimed that Vikash Vaibhav is a senior IPS officer of the state and very honest, and had checked Maoist activities in many districts while serving as SP. They claimed that DG, Home Guard unnecessarily abused him and the Bihar government is insulting the police officer by serving the show cause notice to him.

The Home Ministry comes under Nitish Kumar and he has also said that bureaucrats need not to upload anything on social media.

On February 13, Vaibhav sent a letter to the Home Ministry, requesting an immediate transfer to another department in the state.

Vaibhav claimed that he received life threats from Ahotkar and hence he has written a letter to the Additional Chief Secretary, Home, for the transfer as well as 2 weeks leave too.

"I cannot afford to work under Shobha Ahotkar for one day. I have a big life threat from her. I suspect that some untoward incident may take place during the duty in the Home Guards if I work for one more day and the loss may turn irreparable for me," Vaibhav said in his letter.