Amitabh Thakur

Amitabh Thakur, a former 1992 batch Uttar Pradesh cadre Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and a social activist, married to advocate/activist Nutan Thakur, is the President of newly formed political party Adhikar Sena. He has served as a Superintendent of Police (SP) in ten districts of Uttar Pradesh, and as an Inspector General (IG) in the state's Civil Defence department.

Early life

IPS Amitabh Thakur was born at Muzaffarpur, Bihar . He was brought up in Bokaro and present-day Jharkhand (then a part of Bihar), a meticulous IPS officer, also holding a B. Tech degree in mechanical engineering from IIT Kanpur.In pics: Bureaucrats who suffered at the hands of political class by being repeatedly transferred or denied plum posting
India Today He also has a FPM (PhD) Degree from IIM Lucknow.

Police career

Thakur began his police career in 1992. He has worked in ten districts of Uttar Pradesh, as a Superintendent of Police (SP). He has worked in multiple departments including Intelligence, Vigilance, Anti-Corruption and Police Training Academy. Thakur was directly promoted from the rank of SP to Inspector General (IG), because his promotion as DIG had been held due to framed inquiries against him.

2005 suspension

In 2005, Amitabh was suspended while posted as the superintendent of police (SP) at Gonda. He was accused of issuing an arms licence to criminals. He defended himself arguing that he only cleared the files that had been already vetted by other officers and the district administration.

2006 suspension

In 2006, some criminals kidnapped a jeweller from Padam town, which comes under the purview of Jasrana police station. Accusing the police of slackness, the locals organised a protest and demanded action against the officer in-charge. Thakur was the SP of Ferozabad at that time. In response to the protests, he transferred the Jasrana police station in-charge VK Trivedi, for dereliction of duty. Ramvir Singh Yadav, a Samajwadi Party leader and the MLA, asked Thakur to move Trivedi back to Jasrana. However, Thakur refused to oblige.

Some days later, Thakur came to Yadav's native village Paidath, to review the security arrangements for a state minister's visit to the village. There, Yadav and his supporters allegedly threatened and manhandled him over Trivedi's transfer. Seven constables deputed in the security of Yadav also supported Yadav, and threatened Thakur's staff. Outnumbered, Thakur and his staff fled and stopped at the Eka police station to lodge an FIR. The officer in-charge there initially refused to lodge an FIR against the MLA, and relented after "much persuasion".

Ramvir was cleared of any wrongdoing, after the witnesses against him backtracked.

2008 case against the state government

In April 2008, Thakur was selected for the four-year Fellow Programme in Management (FPM) at IIM Lucknow. Between April 2008 and March 2009, he sent three letters to the state government's Principal Secretary (Home) and the police DGP to grant him a study leave for the course. After failing to receive a response, he approached the Lucknow Bench of Central Administrative Tribunal in April 2009. The Tribunal ordered the state government to make a decision on his leave request within two weeks. When the government still didn't respond to his application, he filed a contempt petition with the Tribunal and also moved the High Court against the government. In May 2009, the government issued a letter, rejecting Thakur's request for study leave, on the basis that he had not sought permission from his immediate supervisor before opting for the course. The letter stated that the government would be able to grant him a leave for a maximum of one year. Thakur then again approached the Tribunal. Subsequently, the government sanctioned him a two-year leave.

2015 suspension

In December 2014, Nutan Thakur filed a complaint against the state's mining minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati, before the Lok Ayukta (anti-corruption ombudsman). She alleged that the minister was involved in illegal mining activities. Thakur approached the Central Government, seeking protection for his family.

In January 2015, a woman filed a rape case against Amitabh Thakur, while he was posted as IG (Civil Defence). The woman alleged that Nutan Thakur promised her assistance in getting a government job, and asked her to come to the Thakurs' residence in Gomti Nagar, where she was allegedly raped. The Thakurs dismissed the complaint as bogus, saying that it had been filed and framed in response to Nutan's complaint against the minister, and that the complainant was related to a Samajwadi Party leader.

On 10 July 2015, Thakur got a phone call from the state's former Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav. He alleged that Yadav had threatened him over the phone call. He released the audio of the phone call, in which Yadav is allegedly heard saying the following sentences:

* "You were very insolent...Everyone took you inside the school and wanted to beat you. I was the one who saved you." (referring to the incident in which Thakur was manhandled by Jasrana MLA Ramveer Singh Yadav)
* "There could be more dire consequences, I am telling you. I went to Patna where your family members requested me to help and save you."
* "I am telling you, aap sudhar jaaiye (mend your ways). This is all I want to say."

Thakur alleged that Mulayam Singh was unhappy about the complaint lodged by his wife Nutan against the state minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati.

11 July 2015, Thakur presented a complaint before Hazratganj police station for registration of FIR against Mulayam Singh as regards the alleged phone threat, which the Police refused to register.

On the contrary, in the same night of 11 July, a rape case was registered against Thakur by the Lucknow police at Gomtinagar police station, based on the complaint filed in January. Two days later, on 13 July, the state government suspended Thakur, accusing him of "indiscipline, holding anti-government views, dereliction of duty and violating service rules". The government also alleged that he had misused government resources and given incomplete information about his assets in his annual declaration of property, which the government hasn't been able to prove yet.

Almost immediately after this, a complaint was presented against Thakur before Lokayukta, UP alleging that Thakur had amassed huge wealth, and a probe was sought into the matter. The then Lokayukta sent a report to State Government, which Thakur alleged to be a biased report under Government pressure. A Vigilance enquiry was also initiated against Thakur at the same time, in which the Vigilance Department recommended registration of FIR against him. An FIR for Disproportionate Assets was registered against Thakur at Thana Gomtinagar.

Investigations were held in both the rape case and Disproportionate assets case and both the charges proved to be incorrect. In the rape case, the Police not only exonerated Thakur, it also charged the complainant of registering a false FIR. Similarly, in the Disproportionate assets case, the investigating agency, EOW, concluded that the charges were incorrect and Thakur had property much lesser than his known sources of income.

Compulsory Retirement

Thakur was given compulsory retirement in March 2021, along with 02 other IPS officers of Uttar Pradesh Cadre, with 07 years of his service still left. Thakur called this an act of political vendetta and alleged that he was being retired merely for his activism and honest working.

Arrest

In August 2021, Thakur announced that he would be contesting forthcoming Assembly elections against Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Almost immediately after this, he was arrested in August 2021,. He was granted bail in March 2022 and came out of Jail on Bail almost immediately after the Assembly result.

Activism

Anti-corruption

Amitabh Thakur is the founder of the National RTI Forum, a grassroots anti- corruption organisation in India that advocates for government openness under the terms of the 2005 Right to Information Act. The organisation is based in Lucknow.

Human rights

Thakur had formed Institute for Research and Documentation in Social Sciences (IRDS), a human rights organisation. He recorded the dying declaration of journalist Jagendra Singh; the video allegedly indicated the involvement of a state's minister in Singh's death.

Other issues

In January 2011, Thakur filed an FIR against Facebook and some of its users, for offensive comments against Mahatma Gandhi in a Facebook group called "I hate Gandhi". Facebook banned the group a couple of days later.

PILs

Amitabh Thakur and his wife Nutan have filed over 500 RTI applications and 150 Public Interest Litigations (PILs). A number of PILs filed by the Thakurs resulted in action.

As a writer

Thakur has co-authored two books, and has compiled two collections of poems. He and his wife are working on a book on Arvind Kejriwal. His book ''Fresh Brew - Chronicles of Business and Freedom'', co-authored with Amit Haralalka, traces the careers of 25 IIM Lucknow alumni who turned entrepreneurs.

Personal life

Amitabh Thakur is married to Nutan Thakur, an advocate and a social activist. The couple has two children - a daughter named Tanaya and a son named Aditya, both law graduates. While Tanaya graduated from National Law University Patna, Aditya graduated from National Law University Lucknow.

Also read

* Vijay Shankar Pandey, whistle blower IAS
* Nutan Thakur, Advocate, activist and active member, Adhikar Sena

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thakur, Amitabh
Living people
Indian Police Service officers
Indian police officers
Uttar Pradesh Police
People from Muzaffarpur
Indian anti-corruption activists
IIT Kanpur alumni
Indian Institute of Management Lucknow alumni
Activists from Bihar
All India Services
Year of birth missing (living people)