Govt may seek explanation from officer transferred after post on Nehru

BHOPAL: The state government may seek an explanation from Ajay Singh Gangwar, who was removed from the post of Barwani collector on Thursday evening after he put up a Facebook post praising former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Lal Nehru and defending the Gandhi family.

Gangwar has now been posted as a deputy secretary at Mantralaya.

In a post on his Facebook page, Gangwar wrote: “Pls let me know the mistakes Nehru should not have committed… It was his mistake if he didn’t allow you to become a Hindu Talibani Rashtra in 1947… It was his mistake that he brought IIT, ISRO, BARAC, IISB, IIM, BHEL STEEL PLANT, DAMS, THERMAL POWER (sic).”

The post went on to add: “It was his mistake that he gave respect to SARABHAI, HOMI JAHANGEER instead of INTELLECTUAL like Asaram and Ramdev… It was his blunder that he opened university in place of Goshala and Mandir… the Gandhi family needs to apologise to the nation for such mistakes (sic).”

Chief secretary Anthony deSa’s order transferring Gangwar to Mantralaya makes no mention of the post.

Gangwar reacted to the transfer by telling HT that the post was “meant for a discussion exclusively among Facebook friends” and does not violate Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules.

Official sources said the BJP government was not as offended by Gangwar’s praise for Nehru as his reference to a ‘Talibani Hindu Rashtra’ and allegedly derogatory comments against yoga guru Ramdev and temples.

However, the state government is reportedly unsure about mentioning the FB post while seeking Gangwar’s explanation – given the Congress criticism against his transfer. The Opposition has reportedly told the BJP government that if action was being taken against officials over political statements made by civil servants, the likes of Narsinghpur collector M Sibi Chakkravarthy – who congratulated Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on her victory in the assembly elections – should not have been spared either.

AJAY SINGH GANGWAR WAS REMOVED FROM THE POST OF BARWANI COLLECTOR AND HAS BEEN POSTED AS DEPUTY SECY AT MANTRALAYA