State urban development secretary Ajoy Kumar Singh on Sunday denied allegations that he punished traffic DSP Ranjit Lakra with a transfer for pulling up a car in which his wife was travelling, but conceded having approached a senior cop against Lakra’s “use of unparliamentary language”.

The senior IAS officer stressed that he was neither instrumental behind the transfer of Lakra, who had slapped a fine on the driver, nor did he ask the DSP to seek an apology from his wife.

“I don’t wish to drag this controversy any further. I want to clarify that I had not summoned the DSP to my office (as alleged). He came on his own the next day and tendered an apology for his indecent behaviour towards my wife… I heard him patiently and told him that I could not accept an apology on behalf of someone else. I did not ask him to meet my wife. I only advised him to be courteous even while on duty,” Singh told this newspaper.