DM who gave clean chit to Durga Shakti transferred

Gautam Budh Nagar District Magistrate Ravikant Singh, who had given a clean chit to suspended Uttar Pradesh IAS officer Durga Sakthi Nagpal, has been transferred.

The action comes days after Mr. Singh had supported Ms. Nagpal, the 28-year-old SDM of Gautam Budh Nagar, who led the crackdown on sand mining mafia in her district and was suspended on July 27 ostensibly for ordering demolition of a wall of a under-construction mosque allegedly without following due process.

Mr. Singh had in his report to the U.P. government supported Ms. Nagpal and said that the wall was demolished by villagers themselves and no JCB machine was put in operation to demolish it.

Though no official reason has been given for Mr. Singh’s transfer, it comes after villagers at Sorkha village in Sector 115 in Noida on Tuesday protested against a demolition drive in the area and pelted stones and set ablaze police vehicle.

District Magistrate Singh had on Tuesday reached the site and pacified the mob.

Officials said that Mr. Singh has been put on wait list and replaced by DM, Unnao, Hiralal Gupta.

Besides Mr. Singh, others who have been transferred include Special secretary in Infrastructure and Industrial Development department Kaushal Raj Sharma, who has been made the new DM of Muzaffarnagar replacing Surendra Singh, who has also been put on the wait list.

DM Mainpuri Vijay Karan Anand has been shifted to Unnao.

Special secretary IT Vinod Kumar Pawar has been made the new DM of Mainpuri.