SDM suspended in MP after nod to Congress stir; charged with signing order sans vetting

INDORE: The sub-divisional magistrate of MP's Dewas district was suspended on Sunday for alleged misconduct and indiscipline within hours of him granting permission to Congress for a public protest against what the official order acknowledges as an "indecent comment" by minister Kailash Vijayvargiya while responding to "14 water-contamination deaths" in Indore.

Ujjain divisional commissioner Asheesh Singh's suspension order against SDM Anand Malviya cites "dereliction of duty in signing an order without properly vetting it".


The text of Malviya's order, which has since gone viral, mentions that the deaths were caused by "water supplied by BJP-governed municipal corporation" and describes minister Vijayvargiya's allegedly brazen response as "a sign of inhuman nature and autocracy".

"On instruction of (Congress) state president, Jitu Patwari, strong protests would be held against this inhuman behaviour in front of homes of MPs and MLAs with chimes of bells," it read. The order, a copy of which is with TOI, was in response to Dewas district Congress unit's request for permission to organise a rally against the water contamination tragedy.

Divisional commissioner Singh said the SDM failed to verify the death toll or nature of the problem before "allowing Congress' claims" to be printed as part of a govt order. "Malviya has been suspended with immediate effect. During his suspension, he will be posted at the divisional commissioner's office in Ujjain."
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