Suspension of IAS official: Akhilesh rubbishes allegations; association demands revocation
Bangalore: Rubbishing the allegations by opposition parties that the suspension of Gautam Budh Nagar Sub-Divisional Magistrate had come under pressure from the mining mafia, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today said the step was taken because there was a possibility of communal tension brewing up in the area.
"There are many such incidents where there is a chance of communal tension erupting, it becomes necessary to take certain administrative decision to prevent it. Therefore we have taken this decision" (of suspending the magistrate), he told reporters at the Bangalore International Airport here.
"When we don't take any decision, you (media) complain of our indecision and if we take, you say it is a harsh decision," the Chief Minister said.
A 2009-batch IAS officer posted as Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Gautam Budh Nagar in September last year, 28-year-old Durga Shakti Nagpal was penalised ostensibly for the demolition of a wall at a disputed place of worship.
She had led a crackdown on unauthorised mining in the district and got over two dozen FIRs registered against those involved in illegally removing sand.
Opposition parties had alleged that the suspension order has come under pressure from the mining mafia.
IAS association demands revocation of its officer's suspension
Lucknow: IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal, who was leading crackdown on sand mafia and was shunted out by the Uttar Pradesh government, today met the officiating chief secretary and demanded revocation of her suspension order. Nagpal was accompanied by members of the IAS association.
"We went to meet the chief secretary and demanded revocation of the suspension. He said he will look into it," secretary of the IAS association, Parthsarathi Sen Sharma said.
Officiating Chief Secretary Alok Ranjan said the matter would be placed before Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. Akhilesh is currently not in the state. He has gone to Bangalore, where he and SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav are scheduled to address a rally.
The 2009-batch IAS officer, posted as Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Gautam Budh Nagar, had clamped down on illegal mining and taken on powerful sand mafia in Uttar Pradesh. She was suspended barely 10 months after she got her first posting in the state.
Justifying the suspension of 28-year-old Nagpal, the government said in a statement that she was suspended for getting a wall at a disputed place of worship removed without following legal process.
"SDM Nagpal has been suspended for getting wall of a mosque removed without following legal process in an unforesighted manner which affected the communal atmosphere," a government spokesman had said here.
He said during suspension, Nagpal would remain attached to the Revenue Board.
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