

LUCKNOW: IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal , who took on the powerful sand mafia in Noida, was hurriedly suspended for demolishing the wall of a religious structure, which was dubbed a rash act that could have led to riots. But the 28-year-old sub-divisional magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar never demolished the wall of any religious structure, according to reports the DM has submitted to the UP government.

The report says Nagpal was asked to visit Kadalpur village, where illegal construction activities were being carried out on government land, and settle the matter amicably. The report suggests it was unclear what religious site it was, since the construction had only just begun. Nagpal and other officers were deputed to visit the village after the administration learnt of the encroachment. The residents of the village were then asked to either seek permission for the construction of a religious structure, as per the governing rules, or dismantle the illegally constructed parts.

Kadalpur village residents chose to dismantle the illegal construction of their own volition. No JCB or other heavy machinery was ever pressed into service to demolish any wall, as the government has suggested. The report, with inputs from the district police as well as other administrative officers, also says there was no communal tension or the possibility of any clashes between religious communities.

What then forced the state government to make such haste in taking disciplinary action against a junior civil servant, even resorting to issuing suspension orders at 1.27 on Sunday morning?

Sources in the government said a senior Samajwadi Party Lok Sabha aspirant controls the bulk of the sand mining activities in GB Nagar. When several complaints of dredging from the Yamuna and Hindon rivers reached the chief minister's office in Lucknow, the GB Nagar district administration was asked to curtail the illegal activities. Nagpal, only three years into the IAS, followed the order in letter and spirit.

Disregarding political affiliations, she cracked down on the sand mafia, seizing trucks, slapping fines and lodging FIRs against errant persons. The Samajwadi Party's aspiring parliamentarian was among the aggrieved parties, his business hit by the crackdown. Sources said his repeated attempts to have Nagpal transferred failed, and when the Kadalpur issue came along, it served as an opportune moment to settle scores. The state government, unwilling to invite the ire of the minority community, not only said the villagers should be permitted to continue construction, it also suspended the officer for "inflaming communal tensions" and dismissed the episode as an "administrative exercise".

Now, despite chief minister Akhilesh Yadav 's promise of a rethink on Nagpal's suspension, no decision has been taken. Speaking to TOI, principal secretary, UP's department of appointments, Rajiv Kumar, said, "As an officer of the UP government, Nagpal's reinstatement is in the hands of the state government, as the rightful disciplinary authority. As per the procedure, the government has up to 45 days in which to chargesheet her. In this case, the process may be expedited. It is the state government's decision."

