UP govt orders inquiry into Durga Shakti case

The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday ordered an inquiry into the case of suspended IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal, a day after she filed her reply to the chargesheet served on her.

The government has asked principal secretary (Home), R M Srivastava, to conduct an inquiry into all aspects of the case. “I have been verbally asked to conduct an inquiry into the case, though I am still awaiting formal orders in this regard,” Srivastava said.

Srivastava would visit Gautam Budh Nagar, and is likely to submit his reply at the earliest. Formal orders in this regard have to be issued by the state’s appointment department.

The government decided to appoint an inquiry officer into the case after the reply filed by Nagpal “did not match government records, particularly pertaining to the ownership of the land”, on which the under-construction mosque, which was demolished on her orders, had existed in Kadalpur village on July 27, official sources said.

According to the reply submitted by Nagpal, the land belonged to gram sabha, but government records say otherwise. Sources said while Nagpal claimed she acted under the instructions of a senior officer, a government report suggested she went on her own.

Though speculations are rife that Nagpal’s suspension might be revoked soon following her reported meeting with the Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav to explain her point of view on the demolition of the structure.

Sources said the inquiry by Srivastava could be a step towards reinstating the officer. The UP government also transferred district magistrate of Gautam Buddha Nagar, Ravi Kant Singh, and placed him on the waitlist ostensibly for ensuring a free and fair inquiry, sources said.

Nagpal is presently attached to the board of revenue in Lucknow after the government placed her under suspension.