What colour is Khaki ? This question inadvertently got raised in Uttar Pradesh when an Indian Police Service officer of the rank of Director General of Police openly championed the cause of Ram Mandir construction in Ayodhya. Surya Kumar Shukla is posted as a DG , homeguard in the state.
In a event organized on Ram Mandir at the Lucknow University the DG took a pledge to get the Ram Mandir constructed at the earliest. The video of this pledge has gone viral ever since.
Many people took the oath alongside him and riased the slogan of Jai Shri Ram .
The viral video shows the 1982 batch IPS officer taking the pledge.
Shukla, however, has stuck to his guns and has maintained that his comment were edited off and shown in bits that were out of context.
The DG held that his comment was more related to creating an conducive environment for the construction of Ram Temple, rather than building the temple itself.
He also hinted that he was being targetted and people were creating a controversy where there is non.
Espousal of a religious cause and display of partisan stand by a serving officer is a clear violation of service rules. It goes against the grain of impartiality and neutrality which is binded as a norm for a officer of the government.
The DG's stand, his clarification, notwithstanding, has brought him in the direct line of fire of the opposition parties.
Shukla is due to retire in August. Opposition is insinuating that he is working towards making his post-retirement period rosy by cosying up with the state's BJP government.
This is not the first time in recent times that bureaucray has worn its leaning and political colours on its sleeve.
Recently, on the eve of violence in Kasgang, the district magistrate of Barielly Raghvender Vikram Singh, had made headlines by posting religiously loaded comment on his facebook.
The Yogi government has now asked the DG to explain his stand. However, it remains to be seen what action will follow. If tackled leniently, this trend can make more bureaucrats come out the closet and show their political colours
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