Defending her decision to inform the police about secretary V Shanmugam, the state minister of women and child development Rekha Arya said that her concern was genuine since the officer was not picking up her phone for two days. Talking to the media persons outside the Vidhan Sabha she said that when someone from among the family is not traceable then one becomes concerned. The minister added that she wanted to get connected to the secretary because some important issues related with the department were listed in the proceedings of Vidhan Sabha. The minister claimed that some of the officers are maligning the image of the state government. She reminded that the chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat had himself said that the officers should act like public representatives.
Arya created flutter on Tuesday when she wrote a letter to the Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Dehradun, Arun Mohan Joshi. In the letter she said that the secretary V Shanmugam is missing from September 20 and his phone too is switched off. In the letter the minister expressed apprehension that either officer has gone underground or someone has kidnapped him. The minister added that the process of tender for supply of manpower in the department was underway and in which many irregularities have surfaced. The minister asked the police to find the officer.
Shanmugam was later defended by secretary Saujanya. She clarified that since the officer had come into contact with some person who was found positive for Covid-19, he had quarantined himself after informing her.