Bihar revenue officers’ association expresses objection over Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha’s remarks

The Bihar Revenue Service Association (BiRSA) on Tuesday (March 10, 2026) expressed strong objection and serious concern over certain remarks made by Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha during a recent departmental press conference in Patna.

Mr. Sinha, who also holds the portfolio of Revenue and Land Reforms, in a press conference on Monday (March 9, 2026) implied that some office bearers associated with the federation were allegedly acting as “agents of land mafias” and that they could face suspension, dismissal from service, or other punitive action.

Rejecting the allegations as “baseless and unsubstantiated”, the federation said the remarks are damaging to the dignity of the entire Revenue Service cadre. “It is deeply unfortunate that officers who are entrusted with crucial responsibilities such as removal of land encroachments, action against illegal occupation of land, resolution of land disputes, revenue collection, survey operations, and disaster management are being collectively subjected to insinuations questioning their integrity and commitment, “ General Secretary of the Federation Jitendra Pandey said in a press statement.

In his remarks on Monday (March 9, 2026), Mr. Sinha had also warned the protesting Circle Officers (COs) asking them to return to work or face action. He had added that if COs on strike will not return to work by Tuesday (March 10, 2026) night then the department will give their charge to block development officers (BDOs) and will also find out their replacement.

Mr. Pandey also said that the BiRSA believes that whenever officers of the Revenue Service raise their legitimate administrative and institutional concerns in a democratic and peaceful manner, attempts are made to weaken those concerns by creating an atmosphere of allegations and suspicion.

“Such statements not only divert attention from the real issues but also adversely affect the morale of the Revenue Administration and undermine institutional credibility,” he added.

Another General Secretary of the Federation, Rajni Kanti, clarified that if there is any concrete and credible evidence of collusion between any officer and land mafias, such cases should be investigated through a fair and lawful process, and strict action should be taken in accordance with the law.

He expressed that the federation would fully support such action, however, placing the entire cadre and its representative body under suspicion without evidence is neither fair nor justified.

BiRSA President, Anand Kumar, said that it was necessary to reiterate that the core issue in the present dispute relates to the posting on the post of Deputy Collector Land Reforms (DCLR) and the service structure governing the Revenue Service.

“Under the Bihar Revenue Service Rules, 2010, a total of 101 posts of Deputy Collector Land Reforms (DCLR), along with 33 equivalent posts, were originally notified for officers belonging to the Revenue Service cadre. However, these posts have been allotted to officers from other services in deviation from the prescribed service rules. Such actions are contrary to the established service structure and amount to an encroachment upon the legitimate rights of the Revenue Service cadre,” Mr. Anand said.

He further said: “After being promoted but not being given posting on the said posts, the matter was brought before the Patna High Court through. After hearing the case, the Court, in its order dated 19 June 2025, clearly directed that officers of the Revenue Service who had already been promoted to the post of DCLR should be posted accordingly, while officers belonging to other cadres should be accommodated against newly created posts.”

“It is a matter of serious concern that instead of ensuring proper compliance with the judicial directions, changes were introduced in the relevant rules in a manner that effectively sought to circumvent the spirit and intent of the Court’s order. In this context, a contempt petition is presently under consideration before the Court,” Mr. Kumar added.

He pointed out that the Revenue Service officers are the very officers who confront land mafias, illegal encroachments, and complex land disputes at the ground level. “Associating such officers with land mafias without substantiated evidence is not only illogical but may also weaken the ongoing efforts against such unlawful activities.”

Earlier, Association officers had warned of boycotting the work over the Minister’s conduct.