Ranchi Sub Divisional Officer (SDO) Bhor Singh Yadav has come across first speed-breaker in his path of getting city accustomed to following rules and regulations properly when a legal case was slapped against him on Sunday.
The case has been filed by Dream City Owner Manoj Pandey in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) of the district.
Though the details of the complaint couldn’t be attained, the move is said to have been largely welcomed by a section of traders in the city, who have found themselves in troubled waters after the SDO started taking harsh actions against food adulteration and weight and measurement issues.
Though the largest trade body of the State, Federation of Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FJCCI) has said in its meeting held on Sunday that it stood by Bhor Singh Yadav as far as his motto of catching wrongdoers in any trade in the city was concerned, it also compared him with notorious filmy character Gabbar Singh of Sholay.
FJCCI President Vinay Agrawal said after the meeting that traders of city were living under immense fear and put the shutters of their store down the moment they came to know that Yadav was about to come in the market area.
“We are in full support of Yadav as an officer who appears to be desperate for law enforcement in the city and wants traders to do business with utter legality and transparency. And we request the government to deploy at least 10 such officers in city because we need all of them.
But we are not at all in support of his modus operandi, he is creating havoc among traders and putting them behind bars without lodging any charges against them.
He is harassing traders which will not be tolerated in any case,” said Agrawal after meeting where Urban Development Minister CP Singh, office bears and members of FJCCI were present.
FJCCI has, for same reasons, decided to meet with Yadav on Monday morning to ask him change his style of functioning within 24-36 hours, failing to which could attract mass protest against him thereafter.
At the same time, the Minister asked traders to come up with proof of being harassed by the SDO and said that he would be definitely standing with those if charges made by them stood right.
“But law must be respected by all. I am with anyone who is an apparent victim. But baseless charges shouldn’t be made by anyone, be it against common people or against an official working for
law enforcement,” said Singh. Notably, Yadav has remained lethal on those not following traffic rules, mainly those without helmets, expiry seed sellers, illegally run hookah bars, illegal transportation of goods on bus rooftops, illegal stamp sellers and all those running their businesses illegally right after he took charge as Ranchi SDO.