Orissa's top police official B B Mohanty was suspended on Friday, just a few hours after a Rajasthan court issued a non-bailable warrant against him for allegedly sheltering his fugitive son Bitihotra Mohanty.
Bitihotra, who was convicted of raping a foreigner, later jumped parole from a Rajasthan jail. He is currently absconding.
However, Mohanty, the director general (Fire Services) of Orissa, is yet to be arrested.
The NBWs against Mohanty and his son were also delivered to the Cuttack district magistrate on Friday. The decision to suspend him was taken by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik after consulting with Chief Secretary Ajit Tripathy, Home Secretary T K Mishra and senior state officials.
''Mohanty was suspended in accordance with the provisions of service rules. Such action can be initiated against any civil servant facing criminal cases,'' said Mishra.
A police team searched Mohanty's residence and office, but could not find him, said Cuttack's superintendent of police Soumendra Priyadarshi, who has been given the task of executing the warrants by district magistrate Sujata Karthikeyan.
The Rajasthan police's earlier attempts to arrest Mohanty have also failed.