IAS officer locked inside his office by South MCD councillor transferred

An IAS officer, who was locked inside his office by a BJP councillor on February 4, has been transferred along with two other officials Thursday.

Claiming that South MCD deputy commissioner Bhupesh Chaudhary was not paying heed to problems in his ward, BJP councillor chairperson of Najafgarh zone Satya Pal Malik had locked the IAS officer in his office.

The South MCD issued an order Thursday that Chaudhary has been transferred to DC Central Zone along with additional charge of IT. Along with him, Pradeep Kumar, who was holding the charge of Director Primary Education with additional charge of DC Advt, has been transferred as Deputy Commissioner Najafgarh Zone. Radha Krishna, who was DC Central Zone and Joint Accessor and Collector, has been relieved of the post of DC.

Sources in the corporation said that though the transfer is routine, it was also to prevent a showdown between the political and bureaucratic wing.

Chaudhary, a 2014 batch IAS officer of the AGMUT cadre, told The Indian Express, “Ours is a transferable job and we work as per the rules of the government. Whatever was done to me, I have registered an FIR and the law will take its course… We are duty bound to obey the rules and whatever was done was a criminal act. If someone has any grievances, it could be discussed legitimately using different channels.”

Chaudhary was appointed to the Najafgarh zone in January 2021.

Malik, who is councillor from Roshanpura and a former deputy mayor, claimed, “I have nothing personal against him, he was not sealing the liquor shops despite violations.”

SDMC Mayor Mukesh Suryan said the officer has been transferred and he would further press that he be sent back to his parent department.

A senior official in the South MCD said that locking anyone in the office is a violation of his rights: “No matter what the reason behind the confrontation is and who is right, this cannot be justified. If there were any issues, it could have been raised in corporation meetings.”

The confrontation between the two wings is not new. In 2018, a special House session was called by then mayor Bipin Bihari Singh seeking impeachment of then commissioner Ranveer Singh for his alleged refusal to take steps to end sanitation workers’ strike.