DM who gave clean chit to IAS officer Durga Shakti shifted

Lucknow, Aug 28: The district magistrate, who had given a clean chit to suspended IAS officer Durga Sakti Nagpal in the controversial demolition of a mosque wall in Gautam Budh Nagar, has been transferred, amid reports that she may be reinstated by the UP government.

Ravikant Singh, who was the Gautam Budh Nagar DM, has been put on the wait list, days after he supported Nagpal, the 28-year-old SDM who led the crackdown on sand mining mafia in her district and was suspended on July 27, ostensibly for ordering demolition of a wall of a under-construction mosque, allegedly without following due process.

Singh had in his report to the UP government supported Nagpal, whose suspension had sparked outrage, and said that the wall was demolished by villagers themselves and no JCB machine was put in operation to demolish it.

here has been speculation that Nagpal may be reinstated by the Akhilesh Yadav government after she submitted a reply to the chargesheet against her. Though no official reason has been given for Singh's transfer, it comes after villagers at Sorkha village in Sector 115 in Noida yesterday protested against a demolition drive in the area and pelted stones and set ablaze police vehicles.

Singh had yesterday reached the site and pacified the mob. Officials said today that Singh has been put on wait list and replaced by DM, Unnao, Hiralal Gupta. Besides Singh, others who have been transferred include Special secretary in Infrastructure and Industrial Development department Kaushal Raj Sharma, who has been made the new DM of Muzaffarnagar, replacing Surendra Singh, who has also been put on the wait list.

DM Mainpuri Vijay Karan Anand has been shifted to Unnao. Special secretary IT Vinod Kumar Pawar has been made the new DM of Mainpuri.

PTI