Jamshedpur: In a major overhaul following recent law-and-order issues, state govt on Wednesday appointed new police chiefs for East Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharsawan districts, a day after chief minister Hemant Soren removed IPS couple Piyush Kumar Pandey and Nidhi Dwivedi from their posts.Ehtesham Waquarib was posted as senior superintendent of police (SSP) of East Singhbhum, while Manoj Swargiary was appointed SP of Seraikela-Kharsawan, in place of Pandey and Dwivedi, respectively.Pandey was shunted after the death of 24-year-old Himanshu Singh, who succumbed to injuries on Monday night after being stabbed outside a pub-cum-bar in Jamshedpur on Sunday. The attack followed an altercation between Himanshu, his friend Pratyush Singh and a group of individuals inside the establishment in Bistupur. The dispute later spilled onto the streets, where both were allegedly stabbed in the presence of on-duty police personnel. Pratyush remains under treatment.Following the incident, Pandey suspended Bistupur police station officer-in charge Alok Dubey and three other personnel for alleged negligence and dereliction of duty.Himanshu’s family performed his last rites on Wednesday after agreeing to an administration proposal to provide employment to his widow. “We have offered a job letter through an outsourced agency. The administration will send a proposal to the state govt for providing a permanent job,” said Seraikela-Kharsawan deputy commissioner Nitish Kumar, who was part of the team that held talks with the family in Adityapur.The DC also informed the family that five accused have been arrested and raids were under way to apprehend the remaining persons. Police have announced a reward of Rs 2 lakh for information leading to the arrest of main accused, Vishwanath Mandal alias Bodra, who is absconding.The administration has imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) in areas under six police stations — Bistupur, Sakchi, Sonari, Kadma, Mango and MGM — after the BJP announced a Jamshedpur bandh on July 3.Dwivedi’s removal comes amid growing allegations of police excesses against tribals in Seraikela-Kharsawan. The district administration recently suspended three police personnel for allegedly assaulting an Adivasi woman inside a police station. A resident of Kandarbera rehabilitation colony, Alpana Mahali reportedly suffered serious injuries during a three-hour interrogation in connection with a missing person’s case.
