Lucknow, August 28
Gautam Budh Nagar District Magistrate Ravikant Singh, who had given a clean chit to suspended Uttar Pradesh IAS officer Durga Sakthi Nagpal, has been transferred.

The action comes days after Ravikant had supported Nagpal, the 28-year-old SDM of Gautam Budh Nagar, who led the crackdown on sand mining mafia in her district and was suspended on July 27 ostensibly for ordering demolition of a wall of a under-construction mosque allegedly without following due process.

Singh had in his report to the UP Government supported Nagpal and said that the wall was demolished by villagers themselves and no JCB machine was put in operation to demolish it.

Though no official reason has been given for Ravikant's transfer, it comes after villagers at Sorkha village in Sector 115 in Noida yesterday protested against a demolition drive in the area and pelted stones and set ablaze police vehicle. District Magistrate Ravikant had yesterday reached the site and pacified the mob. Officials said today that Ravikant has been put on wait list and replaced by DM, Unnao, Hiralal Gupta.

Besides Ravikant, others who have been transferred include Special secretary in Infrastructure and Industrial Development department Kaushal Raj Sharma, who has been made the new DM of Muzaffarnagar replacing Surendra Singh, who has also been put on the wait list.

DM Mainpuri Vijay Karan Anand has been shifted to Unnao. Special secretary IT Vinod Pawar has been made the new DM of Mainpuri. — PTI