Odisha Govt Withholds Salary Of ‘Absentee’ IPS Officer NB Bharathi

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has ordered the authorities concerned to withhold the salary of senior IPS officer, NB Bharathi, immediately for “unauthorised absence and irresponsible conduct”.

The government came on the recommendation by Director General of Police (DGP) Abhay against Bharathi, who is the IG of the Human Rights Protection Cell (HRPC), .

The HRPC ADG had informed the DGP about Bharathi’s prolonged absence from duty.

In a letter to the Home Department on December 24 last year, the State Police Headquarters had said that Bharathi had been absent from office for some days since November 22 without any prior intimation or leave application. The Headquarters acted after receiving a report from the Additional Director General of Police (ADG), HRPC, SM Narvane.

“Her conduct has been quite irresponsible. She went to Gajapati for an annual inspection without getting her official tour programme approved by the competent authority. On December 19, the HRPC ADG had sent her a recall notice to return to her office at the police headquarters immediately for urgent official work. Despite the notice, she is yet to return and is camping in Gajapati, defying the orders of the competent authority,” the State Police Headquarters said in the letter.

Prior to the letter by the State Police Headquarters, the Disciplinary Committee of the Home Department in a notice Bharathi on November 23, 2017, had directed her to appear in person within 30 days and submit a written counter to the charges framed against her.

But as there was no response, the Law Department had served another notice on September 30 last year giving her seven days more time to submit a written explanation either in person or through a representative during the hearing of the charges.

After not getting any reply from the IPS officer, the Home Department had put up a notice on the door of her office chamber at the State Police Headquarters in Cuttack on February 19.

Meanwhile, the state government has appointed the Additional DGP, Headquarters, Vinaytosh Mishra, as the Investigating Officer (IO) to probe into the allegations against the 1998 batch IPS officer.

Meanwhile, talks are rife in the top administrative echelons about the promotion of Bharathi to the IG rank even while departmental proceedings were taken against her for dereliction of duty.