Guj IPS officer who took on govt over riots seeks retirement

Locked in a running feud with the Gujarat government over 2002 communal riots, IPS officer Rahul Sharma has sought early retirement from service citing personal reasons, but said his decision was not "inspired" by government action initiated against him.
"I have sought retirement from service due to personal reasons and have given three months' notice to the state government on November 19," Sharma, who is currently Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Armed Units at Vadodara, told PTI.
According to rules, an IPS officer can seek early retirement after attaining the age of 50 by giving a notice of three months.

"I am not taking it (state's action) in a negative way. What the state government has been doing does not make any difference to me. My decision is not inspired by state government's action," Sharma, a 1992-batch IPS officer, said.
"I have many other opportunities also. I can be engaged in a better way elsewhere," he said.
After the death of his wife recently, Sharma had sought transfer either to Gandhinagar or Ahmedabad which was denied. When asked about this, he said, "Yes I sought transfer, but it was not given."

Sharma had, as Deputy Commissioner of Police posted at Ahmedabad control room, assisted the crime branch in probing the high-profile Naroda Patiya, Naroda Gam and Gulbarg Society riots cases.

He had compiled call data records of several important state functionaries and leaders of right-wing groups like Bajrang Dal and VHP on a CD describing their movements during the violence and submitted it to the Nanavati Commission.
The CDR submitted by Sharma had helped lawyers and activists nail former minister Maya Kodnani, Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi and others for their complicity in the riots.
In 2011, the state government had charge sheeted Sharma for the loss of the CD. Sharma had claimed he had sent it to the crime branch chief P P Pandey through a messenger after which it had gone missing.

The government had alleged that Sharma deliberately did not submit the CD to the investigating authorities and later gave it to the Nanavati Commission.
Sharma had also been served six show cause notices for "misconduct", including giving cash rewards to drivers and subordinates and committing spelling mistakes.
Sharma had challenged the show cause notices before a CAT bench and accused the state's Home department officials of wrongly making adverse remarks in his Annual Confidential Report to block his promotion.
The CAT, after granting stay on the show cause notices, had vacated it following which the officer had approached the Gujarat High Court where his petition is still pending. In his petition, Sharma has alleged that government's actions agaist him were malafide.