UP Officer Removed From Post After 'Punishment' Video Goes Viral

A government official in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly has been removed from his post after a video of a man allegedly being 'punished' inside his office went viral. Udit Pawar, the Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Mirganj town in Bareilly district, has been accused of asking a man to 'crouch like a chicken' after he reportedly visited the officer for the third time with a request for a cremation ground. Mr Pawar has denied the charge, saying the man was already crouched in that position when he entered his office, and he, in fact, asked him why he was doing it and directed others present there to help him to his feet.

The District Magistrate has, however, said that an initial enquiry has revealed that the SDM was at fault. He has removed Mr Pawar from his post, and not assigned him a fresh posting so far.

The victim has alleged that he, along with some others from his village, reached the SDM office with a demand related to a cremation ground, but the SDM punished him instead, and threw away his letter.

"I went to his office regarding the cremation ground. I gave him testimonials stating there is no cremation ground in Mandanpur village. SDM sir punished me by asking me to 'crouch like a chicken'. When I asked why he was doing it, he started abusing me. I told him I have come to you for the third time as I have not got justice, and I will keep crouching like this till I get justice. He then said I was only acting. He said there's no mention of a cremation ground in official documents, only a cemetery is registered there, and I won't get any justice," the villager, Pappu, said.

The villagers' complaint letter said that both Hindus and Muslims live in the village, but there is no cremation ground in the village. Some people of the Muslim community have captured the land of the cremation ground in the name of cemetery, it alleged. In such a situation, the district administration should arrange land for a crematorium as they face difficulty in performing the last rites, the letter added.

The SDM, in his defence, said he noticed five to six people from the village in his chamber when he returned from court, and a man was already crouching on his office floor.

"One of them suddenly got in that position as soon as he saw me. I asked him why he was doing that, and requested others to help him up. Meanwhile, someone shot a video at that moment and left. I listened to their complaint and also asked the accountant to settle the matter. The allegation that I punished that man is not true," Udit Pawar said.

Bareilly's District Magistrate Shivkant Dwivedi, however, said he came across a video where a man was seen in a humiliating position on the floor of Mr Pawar's office, and an enquiry found the officer negligent, after which he was immediately removed from his post and a new officer appointed there.