Surajpur collector's behaviour unacceptable, against basic tenets of civility: IAS association
New Delhi: The IAS association on Sunday strongly condemned the behaviour of Collector of Surajpur, Chhattisgarh, Ranbir Sharma, whose video of slapping a man for alleged COVID-19 norm violation has surfaced on social media, saying it was against the basic tenets of the service and civility.
"Civil servants must have empathy and provide a healing touch to society at all times, more so in these difficult times," it said.
Asked about the clip, an official said the man was stopped by the collector and a posse of police in Surajpur district, where a lockdown is in place to combat COVID-19.
In the video, the man can be seen pleading and showing a piece of paper and something on his mobile phone to the collector, who then takes the device and throws it to the ground.
The collector then slaps the man and police officers present at the spot hit him, apparently at the instance of the civil servant, according to the video that drew sharp criticism from bureaucrats on social media.
Sharma is an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Chhattisgarh cadre (2012 batch).
"The IAS Association strongly condemns the behaviour of Collector Surajpur, Chhattisgarh. It is unacceptable & against the basic tenets of the service & civility. Civil servants must have empathy & provide a healing touch to society at all times, more so in these difficult times," the IAS (central) association tweeted.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Collector Ranbir Sharma said, "Today a video is viral on social media in which I am shown slapping a man who was out during lockdown. I sincerely apologise for today's behaviour. I never had any intention to disrespect or belittle the person in the video."
"In this pandemic situation, district Surajpur along with the entire Chhattisgarh state has been facing irreparable loss of lives. We all employees of the state government are striving hard to tackle this problem," he added.
Sharma said the man was riding a bike and was overspeeding. "The man also misbehaved with officials," the collector said.
A police official said the man has been charged under the Epidemic Diseases Act for violating COVID-19 norms.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
