Tripura CM orders inquiry against DM for his alleged misconduct with elected representative
Agartala, May 27 (UNI) Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha on Tuesday asked Chief Secretary J K Sinha to initiate an inquiry into the alleged misconduct of District Magistrate of Gomati Tarit Kanti Chakma with Chief Executive Member of Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) Purna Chandra Jamatia and founder of BJP's ally TIPRA Motha and royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarman on Sunday night.
Pradyot alleged that DM Chakma refused to meet him despite his repeated requests to discuss an emergent issue of a distant tribal village. The incident has triggered sharp political reactions, with opposition parties slamming the bureaucrat and alleging bureaucracy is overpowering the legislators in the state.
'I have been calling him for a month, but he didn't have the courtesy to pick up the call or to get back. Finally, we went to his quarters while returning from the village. He refused to meet us, and his security people told us, DM advised us to meet him in the office with the proper appointment, which is derogatory and a sign of arrogance,' Pradyot said.
The Chief Minister's Office stated that, after returning from Delhi, the CM summoned the Chief Secretary and instructed him to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter and submit a report at the earliest.
Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury criticised Chakma's conduct, claiming both Pradyot and he had made several attempts to meet the DM, all of which were allegedly ignored.
'They were compelled to go meet him at an inconvenient hour because he refused to engage during official time. Yet, even then, he turned them away. At the very least, he could have asked them to come later. This reeks of British-era bureaucratic arrogance,' Chaudhury said, recalling his own negative experiences with the officer.
Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman also backed Pradyot, alleging a troubling trend of 'officer raj' in the state.
'The DM told his security personnel to inform Pradyot that he would not meet at home and only entertain meetings at the office. This kind of attitude from a public servant is unacceptable. DMs are duty-bound to listen to elected representatives, especially on matters of public interest,' Barman said.
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