MORE POWER TO HONEST IAS OFFICERS LIKE DURGA NAGPAL

This refers to the report, “Noida rises
against Durga persecution” (July 30). It is
apparent that honest, hard-working and
diligent civil servants are anathema to the
political class. Upright IAS officer Durga
Shakti Nagpal's suspension lends
credence to this belief.
Clearly, the young civil servant is being
punished for taking on the notorious sand
mafia in Noida. Ironically, her fight is not
just with these lawbreakers but to a large
extent also with the lawmakers, many of
whom have demeaned their office by
compromising with the mafia.
Civil servants may be answerable to
political authorities but they owe allegiance
to the rule of the law. They are not
supposed to protect political interests. If the
Government itself victimises honest officers
and gives them a crown of thorns as reward
for their diligence and honesty, then it
indicates an erosion of values and a failure
of our democratic system. The Akhilesh
Yadav Government has shown its priorities
by penalising an honest officer. It is
heartening that the entire country and the
IAS lobby are standing by Ms Nagpal. The
State Government must revoke her
suspension.