RANCHI: In a significant move, Jharkhand Finance Minister Radhakrishna Kishore on Friday returned all security personnel assigned to him along with three vehicles from his official convoy. He is now travelling without any security cover.
The development comes amid the state government's failure to provide an additional vehicle for his security detail.
The Minister attended a programme at the Khel Gaon Stadium in the morning and later proceeded to the Project Bhawan Secretariat without security personnel.
The decision has triggered widespread discussion in political and bureaucratic circles. Notably, the Minister had written to the Director General of Police (DGP) a few days ago seeking an additional vehicle for the movement of his security personnel.
However, no action was taken on his request.
The Minister, in his letter, stated that security personnel were facing practical difficulties regarding their commute under the existing arrangement. But the minister did not get any response from the DGP.
Annoyed over DGP’s failure to respond to his request, the Minister took the unprecedented step of returning his entire security detail along with the vehicles.
On June 29, Kishore once again wrote a letter to the DGP expressing his displeasure and stated, “I had informed you on April 21 that a total of 16 police personnel had been provided for my security.”
He further wrote, “In the letter, I had also pointed out the difficulty in accommodating 16 police personnel in just three government vehicles. Stuffing police personnel into these vehicles does not appear appropriate from a safety perspective. I had written to you requesting the allocation of four vehicles as required, but received no response. Therefore, I am returning the police personnel along with the vehicles.”
The Minister, however, clarified that his decision was not directed against the state government but was intended to highlight systemic shortcomings.
He said the Chief Minister was probably unaware of the issue.
“If I had needed a vehicle for myself, I would have approached the Chief Minister. He would never have refused,” said the Minister.
He maintained that his protest was aimed at exposing the lack of coordination and administrative lapses between the Police Department and the Finance Department, rather than criticising the government.
