C’garh govt transfers collector after he slaps man over Covid norms
CM CONDEMNED THE INCIDENT AND SAID SUCH ACTS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED
RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh government on Sunday transferred Surajpur collector Ranbir Sharma after a video circulating online purportedly showed the IAS officer slapping a man who was returning from a hospital in the area and breaking his mobile phone as Covid-19 lockdown was in force.
The incident occurred on Saturday, when the collector and some policemen stopped the man -- identified as 23-year-old Aman Mittal -- who was driving his motorcycle, and assaulted him.
Mittal said he was on his way to his home after dropping off food for his grandmother, a Covid-19 patient who is admitted to a hospital in the area, and arranging for her medical tests. “I was on my way back from the hospital where my grandmother has been admitted for COVID-19. I went to give her food and get her blood tested and as I was returning home, I was stopped and questioned for roaming around. I tried showing them the receipt of the blood test, but nobody listened and I was beaten,” the 23-year-old said.
Mittal said the collector initially asked him to leave, but called him back and then threw his mobile phone on the road before slapping him and asking the policemen to beat him up.
The state’s lockdown norms, first announced in April, allow the movement of residents for essential activities such as going to hospitals, pharmacies, grocery shops, etc.
Chief minister Bhupesh Baghel acknowledged the video and condemned the incident on Sunday.
“In Chhattisgarh, such acts will not be tolerated at all. Instructions have been given to remove Sharma with immediate effect,” he wrote in a tweet in Hindi, adding: “I am upset with this incident. I apologise to the young man and his family.”
Soon after, the government transferred Sharma to the secretariat in Nava Raipur as joint secretary (waiting), and appointed chief executive officer (CEO) of Raipur Zila Panchayat, Gaurav Kumar Singh, as the Surajpur collector. Later the state government also said Mittal will be provided a new mobile phone from the government.
On Saturday, Sharma apologised after the video of the incident triggered outrage on social media but alleged that Mittal was driving over the speed limit and misbehaved with officials. “Today a video is viral on social media in which I am shown slapping a man who was out during [the] lockdown. I sincerely apologise for today’s behaviour. I never had any intention to disrespect or belittle the person in the video,” Sharma said in a video statement, before adding, “He was riding a bike and was speeding. The man also misbehaved with officials.”
The Indian Administrative Services (IAS) Association also condemned the incident and wrote on Twitter that Sharma’s actions were “unacceptable & against the basic tenets of the service & civility”.