Bareilly, 16 Sept: After a video of a man purportedly being ‘punished’ inside his office went viral, a government employee in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly was fired.
Udit Pawar, the Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Mirganj town in the Bareilly district, has been accused of instructing a man to ‘crouch like a chicken’ after he allegedly visited the official for the third time with a request for a cremation place.
Pawar has refuted the accusation, claiming that the man was already crouching in that position when he entered his office, and that he questioned him why he was doing it and urged those there to assist him in getting to his feet.
The District Magistrate, on the other hand, stated that an early investigation found that the SDM was to blame. So far, he has removed Pawar from his position and has not assigned him a new one. The victim claims that he and others from his hamlet went to the SDM office with a demand for a cremation place, but the SDM instead reprimanded him and tossed away his letter.
“I went to see him about the cremation place. I offered him evidence that Mandanpur village lacks a cremation place. SDM sir chastised me by instructing me to stoop like a chicken. When I questioned why he was doing it, he began assaulting me. I told him I was coming to you for the third time because I had not received justice, and that I would continue to crouch until I did. He then stated that I was merely acting. There is no mention of a cremation ground in official documents; only a cemetery is registered there, and I won’t get any justice,” Pappu, a villager, said.
According to the locals’ protest letter, the village is home to both Hindus and Muslims, yet there is no cremation place. It is said that certain members of the Muslim community have taken over the cremation site in the guise of a cemetery. In such a case, the district office should set aside property for a cremation because executing the final rites is difficult, according to the letter.
In his defense, the SDM stated that when he came from court, he observed five to six individuals from the village in his chamber, and a man was already squatting on his office floor.
“When one of them saw me, he jumped into that position. I questioned him why he was doing it and urged others to assist him. Meanwhile, someone recorded a video and then departed. I listened to their concern and requested the accountant to resolve it. The claim that I punished that man is false,” Udit Pawar stated.
Shivkant Dwivedi, District Magistrate of Bareilly, said he came across a video in which a man was seen in a humiliating posture on the floor of Pawar’s office, and an investigation found the officer careless, following which he was immediately dismissed from his duty and a replacement officer assigned.
