In a video that has gone viral on social media, a senior Indian Administrative Officer (IAS) is seen hurling abuse at Bihar administrative services officials.
Fuming over it, the Bihar Administrative Service Association (BASA) has demanded action against the senior officer, failing which they have warned of an agitation. BASA’s general secretary Sunil Kumar Tiwari lodged a complaint at the Secretariat Police Station on Thursday for legal action against the officer.
Additional Chief Secretary of Bihar’s Prohibition, Excise and Registration Department K.K. Pathak is purportedly seen in the video holding a virtual meeting with officials of the Bihar Administrative Services and hurling abuse on them.
Mr. Pathak, a 1990 batch IAS officer, is also seen making controversial remarks on the traffic sense of the people of Bihar.
Mr. Pathak was recalled from Central deputation in November 2021 to head the department and effectively implement the State’s strict liquor prohibition laws. He is also the Director General of the Bihar Institute of Public Administration and Rural Development (BIPARD).
The Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016 was enforced in the State in April of that year to ban the consumption, production and trade of liquor. Mr. Pathak was posted in the State at the time. He is also credited with drafting and executing the stringent excise laws in Bihar.
In September 2016, Mr. Pathak went on leave and later on Central deputation over an incident in which an official of his department was arrested and sent to jail for taking action against a local Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader from Nalanda, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s home district.
When contacted, Mr. Pathak told The Hindu over the phone, “I had taken some action against members of BASA for their misconduct on some issues a few months back and I had also written to the Chief Secretary about it. When action was taken, they released this video.” When asked about the hurling of abuses, Mr. Pathak said, “I had lost my temper at the meeting because of their misconduct.”
The virtual meeting was said be held in December 2022.
However, a senior member of the IAS Association, Bihar, preferring anonymity, said, “Personal conduct is not discussed in the association. But it’s simply disgusting and completely unwarranted. No officer has a right to condemn a whole State, its people, and any service. It needs to be condemned.”
“We request the Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary to take immediate action against IAS officer K.K. Pathak for being seen hurling abuse on Bihar government administrative officials in a viral video on social media, else we would be compelled to launch an agitation,” BASA’s Mr. Tiwari said.
Some BASA members said they would file a First Information Report (FIR) against Mr. Pathak.
Sunil Kumar, Minister of the Bihar Prohibition, Excise and Registration Department, later said he had heard about the incident. “Necessary action will be taken against him,” he said.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is currently undertaking the Samadhan Yatra (‘solution journey’) in Saharsha and had not made any comment on the issue till the filing of this report.
