Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday responded to outrage over video footage showing Surajpur district collector Ranbir Sharma hitting a man over a COVID-19 norm violation.
Baghel took to Twitter on Sunday to announce that Ranbir Sharma had been removed from his post with immediate effect.
Baghel tweeted, "Through social media, the case of misbehaviour against a young man by Surajpur collector Ranbir Sharma has come to my notice. It is very sad and condemnable. In Chhattisgarh, no such act will be tolerated at all. Instructions have been given to remove Collector Ranbir Sharma with immediate effect."
Baghel also tweeted the behaviour by Ranbir Sharma was not acceptable and expressed regret over the incident to the family of Mittal.
The Chhattisgarh Chief Minister's Office informed that IAS officer Gaurav Kumar Singh has been appointed the new collector of Surajpur.
On Saturday, Sharma apologised for the incident. A video had gone viral that showed Sharma slapping Mittal and encouraging two policemen to start hitting the man with sticks.
In a statement issued on Saturday, 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 further said in his statement. Sharma said he had recovered from COVID-19 while his mother continued to battle the infection, and asked people to follow COVID-19 norms in place strictly, so that the outbreak can be contained. Sharma said the man, contrary to some reports, was not a minor but a 23-year-old.
also read
- CRPF gets another critical Forward Operating Base in a critical Chhattisgarh region as Maoist influence shrinks
- Inside India's first digital tribal museum: A tribute to unsung heroes of Chhattisgarh
- Why CoBRA, CRPF getting new forward operating base in Karregutta Hills is bad news for Naxals
- Chhattisgarh liquor scam: ED attaches ₹61 crore assets of Chaitanya Baghel
"He was riding a bike and was over speeding. 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.
The IAS Association had also condemned the behaviour of Sharma. The official handle of IAS Association tweeted, “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.”
