Deadlock persists over the future of the suspended Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of 2009 batch Durga Shakti Nagpal as the Uttar Pradesh IAS cadre is contemplating to take legal action that can save her career.
After the ruling Samajwadi Party gave a veiled threat to the State officers not to indulge in politics over the issue, the UP officers apprehend more action against the cadre in the near future and have demanded that the Centre should intervene and revoke suspension of the official.
The officials also apprehend action against District Magistrate of Gautam Buddh Nagar Ravikant Singh.
The UP IAS Association, which raised objections over the wrong procedure adopted by the Akhilesh Yadav Government, is awaiting intervention of the apex court to save the officer, who had taken up the cudgel against sand mining mafia and was ostensibly suspended for demolishing wall of a religious place.
A senior UP officer said on condition of anonymity that such action by any State Government would discourage officers in the field duty to work efficiently. “There was no report of Durga doing anything illegal or wrong and even her immediate superior District Magistrate of Gautam Buddh Nagar has given in writing about her innocence. Unfortunately, the political bosses in the State are keen to derive political mileage out of this issue,” the officer said.
“Such an act of the UP Government will force all the officers in the field duty to either ally with the political masters of their area or keep silent on illegal activities going on in their area,” he said.
Though there was no evidence yet that the Government had suspended the IAS officer to punish her for taking action against the sand mafia in the area, the highhandedness of the State Government and statement by local SP leader Narendra Bhati itself leads to that conclusion.
The officer also criticised the SP Government for accusing the UP IAS Association of raking up the matter and repeatedly giving instances of the previous Mayawati Government when the Association went defunct.
“The SP Government itself is criticising the BSP Government and claiming that they are different, then why they are comparing the UP IAS Association of the BSP regime with their regime. If they want they can compare the association’s functioning with the previous Mulayam Singh Yadav which is their role model of governance,” he said.
“It is not the officer who are doing the politics, but it was the political leaders who are tarnishing the image of the Government. The officers are just trying to protect the career of the youth officer,” he said.
When the officer was asked why Durga herself is not moving the court, he said, “She is very young hence was not so eager to move the court as it could hamper her career. But she is a strong woman and taking up the matter at the appropriate platform.”
The two-page report of the District Magistrate of Gautam Buddh Nagar sent to the Government says that on July 27 at 7.30 pm they received an information that the village pradhan of Kadalpur and others were trying to construct a boundary wall covering a mosque on public land.
On this information, SDM (Sadar) Durga Shakti Nagpal, tehsildar and SHO were sent there with large police force. Villagers were informed of the Supreme Court order and subsequent Government order of 2010 prohibiting construction of a religious place on a public land.
Villagers said they were not aware of such orders. Since they have been informed now, they are willing to remove the construction on their own. The village has 70 per cent Muslim population. Situation was normal there, the report said and gave clean chit to the SDM.
In the report, the DM said there was no threat of communal disturbances in the area nor he mentioned of any objection by the locals on the authorities forcing them to demolish the boundary wall.
:noneG!dsHIJIJx'>Several imminent clerics including Maulana Khalid Rashid, Imam of Eidgah and others were present. Several of the UP ministers were also present on the occasion.