In another surprising move state government on Sunday suspended home secretary, Sarvesh Kumar Mishra and ordered Departmental Enquiry against him in connection with the controversial letter of the Home Deparment through which they called a meeting of officers to discuss reconstruction of Ram Temple on Monday.
Interestingly, on Saturday, Sarvesh Mishra was just transferred and one of his sub-ordinate was suspended while Principal Secretary (home) RM Srivastava tendered Rs apology’ over the issue claiming that it was a big "error" of his department. The above move was also made after four days of issue of the letter (Dated 9th October) just after it appeared in some news paper. However, 24-hours later of the apology and transfer of Sarvesh Chandra Mishra, the government on Sunday placed him under suspension.
According to official communiqué of the State government, the letter through which a meeting was called on Monday under principal secretary (Home) carried misleading information and created controversy besides giving wrong message of the government just as Rs agenda’ of the meeting was misquoted by the officials. Communique said that as the letter was issued in the signature of Home Secretary, Sarvesh Chandra Mishra so they suspended him with immediate effect for his act and also ordered a
Departmental enquiry in the matter. The release said that till the enquiry will be over, Sarvesh Chandra Mishra will remain attached with the Board of Revenue. It may be re-called that to save the government from embarrassment over the letter, RM Srivastava appeared before the media on Saturday and issued clarification. "It was a big error committed by my department as the letter not only carried confidential information passed on to us by the Intelligence Department but also summoned senior police officers to lucknow for discussion on the issue when they were only supposed to interact through video-conferencing," he clarified. The Principal Secretary (Home) initially tried to justify the error saying that the overburdened officials of Home department sometimes made such mistakes. But to avoid any controversy, he said that all those responsible for the error would not be spared.
The Principal Secretary's clarification on the issue has made it clear that Home Secretary Sarvesh Chandra Mishra, under whose signature the letter was issued on October 9, could be removed any time along with some junior staff members. To further convince the media that the error was of the Home Department, Srivastava, while tendering "apology", reminded how disturbances took place from Barabanki, Faizabad to Sultanpur during the immersion of idols on Dussehra last year. "last year, violence took place in three districts, including Faizabad. So how could I summon the officers of these districts to lucknow, that too on the day when the idols were to be immersed this year," he pointed out, clarifying that only the officers were only required to interact through video conferencing.
Srivastava further clarified that the meeting was called with reference to the intelligence input on Sankalp Diwas called by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad on October 18 and that there was a misprint in the letter. "The meeting was organised by the Home Department on Monday to handle the situation arising from the Sankalp Diwas but by mistake, the subject of the meeting was misprinted and it was later corrected," he claimed, adding that the issue was brought to the notice of the competent authority and the minister concerned (Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav who also holds the Home portfolio) must also be aware of it.
In the letter, Sarvesh Chandra Mishra directed the Director General of Police, ADG (law and Order), ADG (Intelligence), IG (law and Order), IG (Railways), IG lucknow Zone, DIG Faizabad Range and District Magistrate /Senior Superintendent of Police of Faizabad to attend a meeting to be chaired by Principal Secretary (Home) RM Srivastava at Command Centre on 2nd flood of lal Bahadur Shastri Annexe here on October 14. He mentioned that the meeting was regarding re-construction of temple at Ram Janmabhoomi on the lines of Somnath temple after enactment of a law on it by the Government of India.