M A I N   N E W S

CM Akhilesh defends IAS officer’s suspension, Centre assures justice
Tribune News Service & PTI

Lucknow/New Delhi, August 1
Even as the Centre today assured that justice would be done in the case of suspended IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal, who had clamped down on the mining mafia in Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Budh Nagar, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav vehemently justified her suspension.

Facing intense criticism over the suspension of the 28-year-old officer by the UP government on July 27, Akhilesh blamed detractors of conspiring to blow the matter out of proportion. Speaking to the media after the Cabinet meeting, Akhilesh said: “Theek karavai ki hai (have taken appropriate action)”, while categorically ruling out correlation between Nagpal’s suspension and illegal sand mining activity in the Gautam Budh Nagar area.

He blamed the officer for mishandling a situation that could have led to communal tension. He said the people had collected money to build a mosque, whose wall was reportedly demolished by the officer without following the due process.

“The government and its officers are responsible for maintaining communal harmony. No action which threatens to vitiate the peaceful environment can be tolerated,” he said. When it was pointed out the District Magistrate’s report did not confirm this scenario, Akhilesh said he had taken cognizance of other sources of information, including the LIU report.

According to sources, the District Magistrate submitted a report with information collated from local police and administrative officials that said Nagpal merely told the villagers that construction of a religious building needed permission. In response, the villagers reportedly pulled down the wall themselves.

Nagpal, posted as SDM in Gautam Budh Nagar, was suspended on July 27 for being instrumental in the demolition without due process. She has been attached to the Board of Revenue.

In New Delhi, Union Minister of State for Personnel V Narayanasamy assured to seek a report from the Uttar Pradesh Government in the matter after a delegation of All India IAS Officers Association met him to press for revocation of Nagpal's suspension and ensuring more safeguards for such officers performing their duties.

The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court would hear a PIL challenging Nagpal’s suspension tomorrow.