PATNA, Nov. 30 -- Bachchu Singh Meena, a 1996-batch IPS officer, who shot to limelight after he took on late gangster and RJD leader Mohammed Shahabuddin in his den and the police team led by him killed around 8 shooters of the dreaded don, will retire from service on Sunday. He was presently IG, Rail. Meena was appointed SP of Siwan in 2001 when Bihar was known for a number of bahubalis (strongmen) and Shahabuddin's name was synonymous with terror and clout. Meena along with the then district magistrate of Siwan, Mohammed Rashid Khan had tightened the noose around the Siwan strongman. He defied threats and raided Shahabuddin's ancestral house in village Pratappur in Hussainganj Police Station limit and 17 kms from Siwan district. Eight members of a criminal gang were allegedly killed in the fierce encounter, which lasted for several hours. Meena himself had a providential escape in the gun battle. Witnesses and some police personnel, who were present at the spot, say that around 2,500 rounds were fired in one of the most intense police-criminal encounters in the annals of the state. A huge cache of arms, including an AK-47, 47 live cartridges and three magazines, a 313 bore rifle, a 9mm pistol and ten cartridges, two magazines and two grenades were recovered from Shahabuddin's village house. Shahabuddin was so incensed by this police operation that he had publicly threatened to teach Meena a lesson and even target his family in Rajasthan. "I'll kill him even if I've to chase him to Rajasthan. No one can save him now," he was quoted as saying by the weekly magazine Outlook. The preface to the raid at Shahabuddin's place was a scuffle between the don and local DSP in which the don had severely misbehaved with the officer and that enraged the city administration senior police officers like Meena. "In fact, there were three non-bailable warrants (NBWs) pending against Shahabuddin. There were other NBWs pending against his accomplices. It was entirely the prerogative of the SP to execute those warrants, as there is no such provision in the IPC or CrPC that an officer has to seek permission from higher-ups for executing a warrant. I did what I was supposed to do and the misbehaviour with the DSP was something I did not tolerate," Meena recalled about the episode later. Meena said that someone had to bell the cat some day and perhaps destiny chose him to go after the don. "I was told about the serious repercussions for it, but I stuck to my role as the police officer. The then Home Secretary UN Panjiar and DGP RR Prasad were rushed to Siwan to take stock of the situation," he added. "After raid an encounter ensued and it got intense, continuing for over six hours. Ten persons lost their lives, including two cops and eight criminals. I was told from many quarters not to go ahead with the raid, as it could have serious consequences. RJD chief Lalu Prasad also called me to know if I would definitely carry out a raid. I politely said that only if I was transferred from there. He did not say anything and the raid went ahead and later I was shifted to Nawada and thereafter to Rohtas. I liked the challenging tenures I had. A senior officer told me once that Laluji wanted me to be sent to challenging places on the pretext that 'Ye ladka pehle goli chalata hai aur baad me batata hai' (This man first fires and then makes people understand)," he added. Meena's juniors recalled him as the officer who always led from the front even in the most adverse conditions. However, that is not the only feather in Meena's cap. "He was also behind the establishment of the identity of the Special Security Guard (SSG) for Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar in 2011 on the lines of the central Special Protection Group (SPG). SSG was established under the Bihar Special Security Group Act, 2000. Meena headed the SSG for six years as IG/ADG (Security)," said a colleague. Apart from Meena, more IPS officers are in line for retirement. Director General and 1989 batch IPS officer Alok Raj will retire on December 31 this year. Earlier, 1990 batch IPS officer RS Bhatti, former Bihar DGP and CISF DG, retired on September 30, while 1992 batch IPS officer and DG BSAP A K Ambedkar retired on July 31....