Lucknow:
IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal, whose suspension by the Uttar Pradesh government in July this year triggered nationwide outrage, met Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav along with her husband today. This was her first meeting with the chief minister since her suspension.
The 2009-batch officer was suspended as SDM of Gautam Buddh Nagar on July 27 for ordering the demolition of a mosque being built illegally on government land in Greater Noida. Despite criticism from various quarters, the Samajwadi Party asked the officer to respond to charges of poor administrative acumen.
Last month, she had met the Chief Minister's father and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to explain her stand to him. The meeting had triggered speculation that her suspension might soon be revoked.
But sources had then said that her reinstatement got delayed as the UP government found "discrepancies" in her reply to its chargesheet accusing her of "endangering communal harmony" by ordering the demolition of the wall of a mosque being built in Kadalpur village in Greater Noida.
Speaking to NDTV about the case today, the chief minister said, "the government has done what it should. Media has exaggerated the issue."
(Watch the interview here)Ms Nagpal's suspension had led to protests by IAS officers across the country. The outrage led to Congress president Sonia Gandhi writing to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking him to ensure she is not treated unfairly.
Her supporters allege that she was 'punished' for her severe crackdown on the politically-connected illegal sand mining mafia in western Uttar Pradesh.