12 years ago
UP govt to review Greater Noida IAS officer Durga Shakti's suspension
The suspension of an Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer Durga Shakti Nagpal, who took on the powerful sand mining mafia in Uttar Pradesh, has sparked off a major controversy. The Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary has said the decision will be reviewed, after the IAS officers' association protested, saying the officer had been victimised.
Here are the 10 latest developments in the story:
The suspension of an Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer Durga Shakti Nagpal, who took on the powerful sand mining mafia in Uttar Pradesh, has sparked off a major controversy. The Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary has said the decision will be reviewed, after the IAS officers' association protested, saying the officer had been victimised.
Here are the 10 latest developments in the story:
- Durga Shakti Nagpal was removed, ostensibly for ordering the demolition of a mosque being built illegally on government land. But political parties and other IAS officers say she was "punished" by the state government.
- The 2009-batch IAS officer, who was posted in the state just six months ago, came to the limelight over her crackdown on the sand mining mafia rampant along the Yamuna and Hindon rivers in western Uttar Pradesh.
- Ms Nagpal had seized nearly 300 trolleys of sand being illegally mined from the Yamuna river bed. She had also formed special flying squads to check the menace.
- On Saturday, Ms Nagpal ordered the demolition of a mosque which was being illegally built on government land. The Supreme Court had said that religious structures on government land be treated as encroachments and brought down.
- The IAS officers' association says there was no communal tension and no report was sought on the situation on the ground, as is the procedure, before the officer was removed.
- The officers claim Ms Nagpal was removed at the instance of a local Samajwadi Party leader Narendra Bhatti, who had allegedly complained to the leadership about the crackdown on the mining mafia hurting political interests.
- The officer had reportedly ruffled quite a few feathers last week after she seized nearly two dozen dumpers engaged in illegal quarrying and arrested 15 offenders.
- But the state government said removing the 28-year-old was an "administrative decision", as her orders to demolish a mosque could cause communal tension. "Sometimes we have to take administrative decisions to prevent communal tension," said Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, justifying his government's action.
- The young officer had spoken of threats from the powerful mining lobbies in Uttar Pradesh. "We have acted against these people, we face implicit threats," Ms Nagpal had said earlier.
- The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party immediately attacked the government, alleging that it was trying to shelter the sand mafia. This is plain Goonda Raj (rule of the jungle). This government shields the mafia and punishes officers trying to act against the mafia," said BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar.
