The Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand government has reinstated IAS officer Manjunath Bhajantri as the Ranchi Deputy Commissioner (DC), according to a notification issued shortly after Soren’s swearing-in as Chief Minister.
Mr. Bhajantri, a 2011 batch IAS officer, was originally appointed Ranchi DC on September 30th, ahead of the state elections. However, he was removed on October 15th following a BJP complaint to the Election Commission. He was subsequently transferred to the Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS) as CEO.
The recent notification stated, “Chief Executive Officer of Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS) Manjunath Bhajantri has been transferred and appointed as Deputy Commissioner, Ranchi, till further orders.“
The move also saw Ranchi DC Varun Ranjan, a 2014 batch IAS officer, transferred to Jharkhand Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation as Managing Director, with an additional role as Commissioner of Mines.
Notably, during his tenure as Deoghar DC, Mr. Bhajantri accused BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and others of forcibly obtaining clearance for a chartered flight beyond its scheduled time at Deoghar airport in August 2022, sparking a public spat. Mr. Dubey later filed an FIR against Officer Bhajantri, accusing him of sedition and violating the Official Secrets Act. The FIR was quashed by the Jharkhand High Court in August 2023.
