Didn`t order demolition of religious structure`s wall: Durga Shakti Nagpal

IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal was suspended by the Uttar Pradesh government for allegedly demolishing the wall of a religious structure.

Zee Media Bureau

Lucknow: IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal, who was suspended by the Uttar Pradesh government for allegedly demolishing the wall of a religious structure in a village in Gautam Buddha Nagar, has explained her side of the story. Nagpal, who was suspended days after she took on the powerful sand mining mafia in the district, on Friday met UP Chief Secretary Javed Usmani and later called on Secretary to the Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, Anita Singh, and to put forth her side of the story. While no details of the letter were available officially, reports said Nagpal, 28, told the state Chief Secretary that she had never issued any orders to demolish the wall which could have stoked communal tensions. The IAS officer explained that villagers had themselves, on July 27, razed the wall after she told them that as per Supreme Court rules, religious structures can`t be built on government land and also require special clearances. Nagpal further said, as per reports, that she was not at fault and had only followed her superiors` order by going to Kadalpura village. A 2010-batch IAS officer, Nagpal was served the suspension order on July 27 ostensibly for demolishing the wall of a mosque. UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday stoutly defended Nagpal`s suspension, saying her action to demolish the wall of a religious place had "vitiated" communal harmony. He also clarified that there was no connection between sand mining and government`s action against her, as alleged by some quarters. Nagpal`s suspension, opposition parties alleged, was done under pressure of the "mining mafia", a charge denied by the state government. Nagpal had launched a crackdown on the "mining mafia" in Gautam Buddha Nagar and was in the news for curbing illegal mining activities in the district by getting over two dozen FIR registered against those involved in illegal sand mining. Special flying squads were formed by the officer to stop the raging menace along Yamuna and Hindon rivers in Western UP. (With PTI inputs)