After the transfer of Collector and SP, the Chhattisgarh government suspends the duo

Raipur: The Chhattisgarh government has suspended IAS officer KL Chauhan and IPS officer Sadanand Kumar, who were dismissed as Collector and SP of Balodabazar-Bhatapara respectively, in the wake of the arson attack at the district headquarters this week, officials said on Friday.

The General Administration and the Ministry of Interior issued their suspension orders late Thursday.

According to the orders, Chauhan and Kumar allegedly failed to take appropriate action after damaging the ‘Jaitkham’ of the Satnami community in the district.

On the night of May 15-16, unidentified assailants destroyed a ‘Jaitkham’ or ‘Victory Pillar’, a sacred symbol of the Satnami community, near the holy Amar Gufa in Giroudpuri Dham in Balodabazar-Bhatapara district.

The police subsequently arrested three people in connection with the incident.

In protest against the alleged destruction of the religious building, the community had called for a demonstration on June 10 at the Dussehra Maidan in Balodabazar and a “gherao” at the tax collector’s office.

During the protest, a mob set fire to a government building and more than 150 vehicles in the town of Balodabazar.

The next day (June 11), the state government transferred the then Balodabazar tax collector KL Chauhan and the then Superintendent of Police (SP) Sadanand Kumar to the local Secretariat and Police Headquarters without allocating any portfolios to them.

According to the suspension orders of the two officials, disciplinary action was pending against them following complaints that the district administration and police failed to take appropriate action following the damage to the religious structure of the Satnami community last month.

While Chauhan is a state cadre service officer who was appointed IAS in 2009, Kumar is a 2010 batch IPS officer. Both have been suspended with immediate effect, the orders said.

Police said on Tuesday that seven reports had been filed in connection with the arson and that twelve teams had been formed to track down those involved in the arson.

Chhattisgarh Food Minister Dayaldas Baghel and Finance Minister Tank Ram Verma, in a joint press conference, accused Congress leaders of inciting the crowd during the protest.

“Such a crime can never be committed by the Satnami community, known for its message of peace and brotherhood… It was the result of a well-planned conspiracy by the Congress,” Minister Baghel had claimed.

The minister said more than 200 people involved in the arson had been arrested.

The Congress described the allegations against the party leadership as baseless and an attempt to cover up the failure and incompetence of the state government.

The influential Satnami community, founded by the medieval social reformer Baba Guru Ghasidas, represents the largest group of Scheduled Castes in Chhattisgarh.

Meanwhile, the state government on Thursday appointed a one-member judicial commission headed by retired Judge CB Bajpai of the Chhattisgarh High Court to investigate the incident, officials said.

The commission will submit its report to the state government within three months, they added.