PCS officers demand judicial probe into ADM-Retd Col row

The UP PCS Officers’ Association has demanded a judicial probe into the dispute between a retired Colonel of Army and a PCS officer in Gautam Buddha Nagar leading to registration of a criminal case against the PCS officer and his suspension.

The Colonel was booked under the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 2018, which was recently passed by Parliament, and sent to jail. 

Later, the case was found to be fake and the state government on Thursday suspended PCS officer Harish Chandra, who was posted as additional district magistrate in Muzaffarnagar.

UP PCS Officers’ Association president Umesh Pratap Singh in a memorandum to the Chief Secretary on Friday expressed his sympathy with the retired Colonel, who is 76 years old. He also condemned what he called “repressive action” by the police in Gautam Buddha Nagar district against the PCS officer.

Umesh Pratap Singh said the District Magistrate and Senior Superintendent of Police of Gautam Buddha Nagar were acting under pressure in a partisan manner, leading to the registration of a case under Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code against the PCS officer.

He said the sequence of events of punitive action against the officers of Gautam Buddha Nagar district proved beyond doubt that the district police were acting in a highly partisan manner.  He said PCS officer Harish Chandra had been suspended, an inspector of police had been sent to police lines and the circle officer had also been removed and proceedings were being initiated against all the officers of the district involved in the incident. 

Singh said that PCS officer Harish Chandra, in his representation to the association, had stated that the Colonel was in the habit of hurling caste based filthy abuses against him and his wife.

Amid allegations of lodging a false sexual harassment report against a 76-year-old retired Colonel of the Army and abuse of power, Harish Chandra was suspended on Thursday.

On Thursday morning, a team of officials from Noida Development Authority reached the housing society and claimed that illegal structure was demolished.

The Colonel in his complaint to the police had said that he had raised objection to the illegal construction by the PCS officer near his flat as it was blocking passage, access to sun light and ventilation in his house. He alleged that on the morning of August 14, the ADM’s wife, son, gunner and some others reached the place, started hurling abuses and hitting him. 

The retired Colonel was arrested on August 14 on the complaint of the ADM’s wife and sent to jail. He was granted bail by the court. Later a counter-FIR was registered against the ADM and seven others, including his family members, while his gunner and house help were arrested.