In the last one year, repatriation has become a byword for 'punishment' and 'discouragement' for All India Services officers especially those belonging to the IAS. On Wednesday, orders were issued for the repatriation of four IAS officers. Among them were two Additional Secretary & Financial Advisers - Sunil Kumar Singh (IAS:1983:BH) and Dr Subhas Sharma (IAS:1984:BH). Udai Singh Kumawat (IAS:1993:BH) and Ms A N Safeena (IAS:1997:BH), too, were repatriated; these two served at the Centre as Joint Secretary, Dept of Revenue, and Development Commissioner, Cochin Special Economic Zone, respectively. Indianmandarins has learnt that the Bihar government had, four months back, requested to the NaMo administration to send back its officers (IAS) belonging to the 1989 batch or below. But it appeared to have fructified post Nitish Kumar joining the NDA. It is believed that the 1989 batch is now up for Additional Secretary empanelment, hence they were not touched. Having none from the1990 batch posted at the centre, junior officers Kumawat (1993) & Ms Safeena (1997) were repatriated who were about to complete their tenure at the centre. What left many officers surprised was the repatriation of S K Singh and Dr Subhas Sharma who were neither consulted nor given an opportunity to convey their opinion on whether they wanted to continue in AS rank in Govt of India. Both came at the Centre in August 2015 and had a legitimate tenure at the Centre till August 2019. It's an irony that Singh would retire in May 2019 and Sharma in August 2019 - even before they would complete their legitimate tenure at the Centre.