The Power-drunk Surajpur Collector, Ranbir Sharma was transferred by the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday, who was seen slapping a youth and throwing his mobile phone for violation of Covid norms. Ranbir Sharma even directed the policemen on duty to beat the youth with sticks.
Strangely, Ranvir Sharma IAS instead of appropriate action is transferred as Joint Secretary at state-secretariat for indecently beating and behaving with a seemingly sensible educated youth who had walked in lockdown for purchasing medicines.
This is the second serious case of brute abuse of power by the bureaucrats, video of which went viral on social media, the first one that got noticed was of Tripura West District Magistrate Sailesh Kumar Yadav who vandalised a wedding ceremony midway, misbehaved with the groom, his parents, priest and guests a couple of weeks back. He was later suspended by the Tripura government.
An important question that arises, is what would have happened if someone might not have made a video of such incidents viral as in many similar or worst cases might have escaped the attention of social media wherein the high-handed civil officers and policemen had used brute force.
While Yadav was suspended in disgrace, the culprit IAS officer Ranbir Sharma has been in fact rewarded rather than punished.
Sharma later apologised for his behaviour and said he never had any intention to disrespect or belittle the person in the video. How strange and a childish apology it was?
Similarly, an apology was tendered by Agartala District Magistrate Shailesh Yadav, who brazenly torn out his own permission granted for the wedding.
Later, Yadav told media the next day, “I apologise if any individual or group is pained by last night's action. But what was done last night was only for the benefit and well being of people. My aim was not to pain or humiliate anyone.” What a cruel joke such power intoxicated officials throws when caught on the wrong foot. Were these incidents not harming and humiliating people for whom they are appointed to serve.
These inebriated officers and some ultra-zealots often advance an argument that they were doing their duty to enforce the law to deal with an extra-ordinary situation. If it is so, then to deal with such extraordinary needs extra-ordinary administrative abilities, skills and talent and not acting as an ordinary street goon. For doing so, why we need IAS, IPS or any other State Cadre if things can be done only by sticks, boots and kicks. Just post a bottom-line police constable or a professional third-degree interrogator to enforce the law and exchequer has not to bear the burden of these civil servants' heavy pay packages, privileges and other paraphernalia attached to their posts.
A mere apology that too with false clarifications by the ex-collector or such officers is not at all enough. Such arrogant and ill-behaved officers deserve tit-for-tat punishment in front of their juniors and the public. Ranvir Sharma has earlier also been in controversy in his earlier postings. He should be removed permanently from the service, and put in jail by invoking relevant sections of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) also as a lesson for others.
