Indore city SP, SDM transferred for kneeling before Cong MLAS

INDORE: Indore's city superintendent of police and a subdivisional magistrate have been transferred for allegedly kneeling before Congress MLAS while requesting them to call off their protest against the Madhya Pradesh government's 'failure' in curbing the spread of COVID-19.

A video of Sub-divisional Magistrate (SDM) Rakesh Sharma and City Superintendent of Police D K Tiwari kneeling before legislators of the opposition party on Saturday went viral on social media, following which the ruling BJP in the state objected to the conduct of the two officials. In separate orders issued by the state government late on Saturday, Sharma and Tiwari were removed from their field postings and transferred to Bhopal with immediate effect, a government official said on Sunday.

According to eye-witnesses, the two officials went to the venue in Rajbada area where former state minister Jitu Patwari, two other Congress MLAS and another party leader were holding a sit-in protest on Saturday.

Tiwari and Sharma knelt before the Congress leaders and requested them with folded hands to end the protest, the eye-witnesses said.

The Congress leaders were protesting against the state government's alleged failure in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.

As per the government orders, Sharma has now been posted as deputy collector in the General Administration Department, while Tiwari is posted as deputy superintendent at the police headquarters.