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A senior IAS officer in Bihar, Mihir Kumar Singh, has come under fire following allegations that he used his position to include 36 books authored by his late father, Dr Jagdish Prasad Singh, on a government library list.
The matter arose when the state government decided to purchase books for libraries being set up in 8,053 village panchayat buildings and community halls across Bihar. To ensure quality, the Panchayati Raj Department formed a committee tasked with selecting books by renowned authors.
The committee recommended 323 books, of which 36 were written by Dr Jagdish Prasad Singh, father of Mihir Kumar Singh, who served as the Additional Chief Secretary of the Panchayati Raj Department from May 2022 to October 2024.
Mihir Singh currently holds the same position in the Road Construction Department.
BIHAR MINISTER ASSURES PROBE
The list, which featured the highest number of books, 47, written by renowned poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, gave second place to Dr Jagdish Prasad Singh’s books. Comparatively, celebrated authors such as Nagarjun had 29 books included, while Ramvriksh Benipuri had 13, Phanishwar Nath Renu had 12, and India’s first President, Dr Rajendra Prasad, had only three.
Following the revelations, the Panchayati Raj Minister, Kedar Prasad Gupta, promised a probe into the matter. Speaking to news agency PTI, he said, “We will investigate the issue and take necessary action if any irregularities are found”.
“However, IAS officer Mihir Kumar Singh, who served as the additional chief secretary of the Panchayati Raj department when a list of about 1,600 books was approved for panchayat libraries under the 15th Finance Commission’s recommendations, expressed his indignation. The entire list of books was approved by the committee set up for the purpose. But a controversy is being created around my father Jagdish Prasad Singh, who has more than 40 titles to his credit and was awarded the Padma Shri way back in 2013,” he told PTI on Sunday.
In response to the controversy, the Panchayati Raj Department has reportedly halted the book purchase process for now. Department officials have been directed to review the matter.
The ruling Janata Dal (United) also voiced concerns. Party spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said, “The government must examine this issue thoroughly. It is unacceptable for anyone in a significant position to misuse their power”.
BIHAR IAS RESPONDS TO ALLEGATIONS
Mihir Kumar Singh defended the process, explaining that the books were selected by a committee comprising officials and academics. He told news agency PTI that the selection included works in literature, general knowledge, science, and social sciences, and the recommendations were accepted by the Panchayati Raj Department.
“The selection process is still ongoing. Some publishers have claimed that new authors were overlooked, and the committee is reviewing those concerns,” he said.
Mihir Singh further clarified that books written by Padma awardees, Jnanpith winners, Sahitya Akademi awardees, and prominent Bihari writers were considered, including those by his father, a Padma Shri recipient in 2013. “There was no reason to reject the committee’s recommendation of my father’s books,” he said.
He also noted that his father, a former professor in Gaya, was well-regarded in academic and literary circles and authored books in Hindi and English.
Dr Jagdish Prasad Singh, who died earlier this year, was a respected academic.
(With inputs from PTI.)
