Bihar woman cop who cornered Mokama MLA Anant Singh

PATNA: Lipi Singh , a 2016-batch IPS officer, is perhaps the second tough woman cop after Shobha Ohatker to hit the headlines in the state. Lipi, fondly called ‘Lady Singham’ by people, is in the news for her tough action against Mokama MLA Anant Singh alias Chhote Sarkar, who is on the run ever since he was booked under relevant sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

Shobha, a 1990-batch IPS officer of Bihar cadre, is currently on central deputation. She had won accolades for busting police-politician nexus and gangs involved in organized crime such as kidnapping, bank dacoity, contract killing and extortion.

Lipi and SP (rural) Kontesh Kumar Mishra led the police team which searched the ancestral house of Anant at Ladma village under Barh sub-division in Patna district on Friday. The police recovered an AK-47 semi-automatic rifle, two hand grenades and 26 live cartridges of prohibited bore from the house.

Lipi’s appointment as Barh SDPO in the run up to the 2019 Lok Sabha election had created a controversy. She was removed from the post and made ASP in Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) at the police headquarters on the directive of the Election Commission. The action against Lipi was initiated on the complaint of Anant’s wife Neelam Devi, who was in the fray from Munger Lok Sabha constituency as a Congress nominee.

Neelam was defeated by Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh of JD(U). Lalan, then a state minister in Nitish Kumar cabinet, was not happy with Anant’s decision to field his wife against him in the Lok Sabha election. In 2014, Lalan was defeated by Veena Devi, wife of another don-turned-politician of Mokama Surajbhan Singh.

Lipi was posted again as SDPO of Barh after the Lok Sabha election. During her second stint, she virtually launched a tirade against Anant. Anant’s associates were cornered and legal action was taken against them.

Sources said Lipi, the elder daughter of JD(U) Rajya Sabha member R C P Singh, got her second posting as Barh SDPO because of his father’s proximity with CM Nitish Kumar.

Lipi, who is credited with putting over 700 criminals behind the bar and seizing illegal weapons since her posting in Barh, however, said, “I have nothing to do with political affiliation of any person. I take action on the basis of evidences and nothing else. And Anant is no exception,” she told this newspaper on Sunday.