Defiant Samajwadi Party justifies Durga Shakti’s suspension

LUCKNOW: A defiant Samajwadi party kept up its attacks on probationary IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal, justifying her suspension in the face of a rising crescendo of condemnation for its actions in the illegal sand mining scandal that has even attracted judicial intervention. A day after Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav justified Nagpal’s suspension, senior minister Azam Khan on Friday said that Nagpal deserved to be suspended and sought to up the ante by calling for the punishment of her boss, the District Magistrate of Gautambudh Nagar (Noida) K Ravikant Singh. “The DM should also be suspended. He gave a wrong report to the state government in order to protect his fellow IAS colleague, who was clearly at fault,” said Khan, a powerful minister.

Earlier, he had sought to make light of illegal sand mining in the state, saying “Ram naam ki loot hai, loot sako to loot (people are looting in the name of God, loot if you can).” Nagpal, who had taken on the so-called sand mining mafia by arresting its members, was suspended last week on grounds she had ordered the demolition of a mosque wall, endangering communal harmony. But critics said the real reason for her suspension was her taking on the sand mafia.

As the controversy rages, video footage emerged of an influential SP leader, Narendra Bhati, in which he was heard claiming how he had got Nagpal suspended within 41 minutes. Bhati, who heads UP State Agro Corporation Chairman, was seen on TV saying “I spoke to the party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and then Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav at 10:30 pm and by 11:11 pm the suspension of the SDM was issued by the collector. Within 41 minutes she was suspended for her misdeeds.”