This Article is From Aug 29, 2013

Durga's suspension: decision on IAS officer's reinstatement delayed

Durga's suspension: decision on IAS officer's reinstatement delayed

File photo of Durga Shakti Nagpal.

Lucknow: Suspended IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal's much-speculated reinstatement by the Uttar Pradesh government has been stalled despite her meeting with Mulayam Singh Yadav, chief of the state's ruling Samajwadi Party, last week.

The 2009-batch officer, whose suspension last month had triggered nationwide anger, had explained her stand to Mr Yadav - the father of state Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav - opting for the political route to possible reinstatement.  

But sources say the UP government has found "discrepancies" in Ms Nagpal's reply to its chargesheet accusing her of "endangering communal harmony" by ordering the demolition of the wall of a mosque being built on government land in Kadalpur village in Greater Noida, on July 27.

State Home Secretary RN Srivastava, who is investigating her response and the sequence of events, will visit the demolition spot today.

A decision may take a few more days, said sources.

Sources said there was a mismatch on the land where the demolition was ordered.  The IAS officer had defended the demolition saying the mosque was being built on gram sabha land, but the government's records say the land may have been bought and sold.

There are also doubts over whether the 28-year-old officer was ordered to go to the site of the demolition, or if she went there on her own. While Ms Nagpal maintains she acted under the instructions of a senior officer, government report suggests she went on her own.

A decision on Ms Nagpal's reinstatement will be taken after Mr Srivastava submits a report to the Chief Minister.

Ms Nagpal's suspension had led to allegations of victimization and protests by IAS officers across the country. The outrage led to Congress president Sonia Gandhi writing to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking him to ensure she is not treated unfairly.

Her supporters allege that she was 'punished' for her severe crackdown on the politically-connected illegal sand mining mafia in western Uttar Pradesh.
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