About two months old controversy over suspension of IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal seems to be ended soon as the officer accused of making an act which could destroy communal harmony, met Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday afternoon. She reportedly tried to convince the Chief Minister by directly giving clarification to him about the whole incident. Enquiry against Durga Shakti Nagpal is still pending with principal secretary (Home) RM Srivastava.
Report said that suspended SDM of Gautambudhnagar (Noida), Durga Shakti Nagpal, along with her husband Abhishek Singh, also an IAS officer posted in Noida when action was taken against Nagpal, called on the CM on Saturday afternoon.
The move was said to be made to directly give clarification over the entire matter and to convince Chief Minister that her action in the ‘issue’ was just to resolve the matter amicably and not to damage the communal fabric of the area. “It is now expected that her suspension might be revoked in a couple of days,” disclosed an officer who confirmed of the visit of the couple to Chief Minister’s residence.
The State Government came in for sharp criticism when they suspended SDM, Durga Shakti Nagpal on July 27 after charging her for arbitrarily ordering the demolition of a wall of an under-construction mosque in Kadalpur village of Noida which might have fuel communal violence. It was alleged that the Government took action against Nagpal just as she took on the powerful sand mining mafia of Gautambudh Nagar which included associates of a leader enjoying Minister rank in Akhilesh’s ministry. However, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav defended Government’s action. “Her action threatened to destroy communal peace,” the Chief Minister had said to counter the media attack on his Government.
On August 20, Akhilesh Yadav, who already directed divisional commissioner of Meerut to send a report on the issue, had also ordered a fresh probe and appointed Principal Secretary (home) RM Srivastava as the inquiry officer in the case and called for a report within the next 15 days. Nagpal was later served a chargesheet running into 10 pages, on a report of Commissioner of Meerut in which it was alleged that the IAS officer had not adhered to the rules while demolishing a mosque wall to which she had later submitted her reply. Besides the suspension had triggered a public outcry, members of IAS Association also met Chief Secretary and requested him to intervene in the matter and get Chief Minister in confidence and get the suspension order revoked. However, later when Akhilesh made in clear that he will not compromise on the law and order issue and let the enquiry decide the fate of the officer, IAS Association preferred to keep ‘silent’ over the issue which is still pending for any conclusion with RM Srivastava, who already visited the spot to record statement of eye-witnesses.