››COMMISSIONER SUBMITS REPORT,
Largely suggestive, the report does not justify comments by the officer on social media platform
LUCKNOW: With the Bareilly commissioner not giving him a clean chit, Bareilly district magistrate Raghvendra Vikram Singh may soon face action for his controversial Facebook post that went viral a day after violence broke out in Kasganj on Republic Day.
According to sources who have seen the report, commissioner PV Jaganmohan submitted the report, largely suggestive in nature, to the state government on Friday.
“The commissioner has not given a clean chit to the official or justified his FB comment as a public servant,” sources said adding, “the commissioner has also referred to similar other comments made by him on the social media platforms from time to time.” The report would now be presented to chief secretary Rajive Kumar, who might take a call on action against the DM in consultation with chief minister Yogi Adityanath.
Kumar is out of the state and is expected to return by Saturday evening.
“The department of appointment and personnel is likely to present the commissioner’s report along with its own opinion to the chief secretary on Monday,” said sources.
The government had on Wednesday sought a report from the commissioner within 24 hours after several BJP leaders and ministers condemned the DM publicly. Many others, including Muslim clerics, however, had praised him for his frank opinion. Raghvendra Vikram Singh, a 2005 batch promotee IAS officer, in his FB post had said, “It has become a trend to enter a Muslim-dominated area and raise anti-Pakistan slogans.” His post came close on the heels of Kasganj violence in which a youth Chandan Gupta was killed during a clash over ‘Triranga yatra’ on January 26. Singh, who joined the PCS in 1986 after a few years stint with the Army, later withdrew his FB post.