Centre awaits report from UP Government on suspended IAS Officer

Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) V. Narayanasamy on Thursday told the representatives of the Uttar Pradesh IAS Officers Association when they met him that the Centre is waiting for a report from the UP Government over suspension of the IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal.

"IAS officers association has met me regarding the suspension of IAS officer Durga Nagpal. In the representation they have mentioned that the officer has been suspended without giving any opportunity to her. We wanted the report from the state government about the suspension of the officer Durga Nagpal. We are still waiting for the reply from the State government," he told the media here today.

Durga Shakti Nagpal, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Greater Noida, was removed after she ordered the demolition of a wall for a mosque being built on government land in Greater Noida.

The young 2009-batch IAS officer came to limelight over her crackdown on the sand mining mafia, which ran rampant along the Yamuna and Hindon rivers in western Uttar Pradesh.

According to reports, Nagpal had seized nearly 300 trolleys of sand being illegally mined from the Yamuna river bed.

Though the Uttar Pradesh government has called it as an 'administrative decision', but many believe that it was a result of pressure from the mining mafia.

Earlier, the Uttar Pradesh government said removing Nagpal was an "administrative decision" as her decision to demolish the mosque could trigger communal tension, especially since it came during the month of Ramzan.

"Sometimes we have to take such decisions to prevent communal tension," said Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. Speaking to media today he denied that the action against Durga Nagpal was taken for action taken by her against mining.