UP government sacks Amethi DM for misbehaving with slain trader's kin

LUCKNOW: Acting tough on Amethi district magistrate Prashant Sharma, the Uttar Pradesh government shunted him out and put on a waiting list on Thursday, a day after he was caught on camera manhandling the bereaved kin of a trader, who was killed on Tuesday.

Moradabad Development Authority vice-chairman Arun Kumar has replaced Sharma. He had earlier been in the news for his alleged misbehaviour with a High Court Judge as well.

The video of Prashant Sharma holding a man by his collar and pushing him while claiming himself to be the highest authority in the district went viral on social media on Wednesday.

Taking cognizance of the video clip, Amethi MP Smriti Irani on Wednesday evening tweeted on a word of caution to Amethi DM. She wrote on Twitter, “We should always try to be humble and sensitive. We are the servants of the public, not their rulers @DmAmethi.” However, the DM also responded by claiming that the video clip was morphed.

Sonu Singh, 35, a brick kiln owner, was shot dead at Bisundaspur village, located within the Gauriganj Kotwali police station limits in Amethi on Tuesday night. As per the sources, two men, identified as Chandrashekhar and Arpit had engaged in an argument over an old issue. Sonu Singh, who was standing nearby, tried to pacify the two persons. But he was allegedly shot at by Chandrashekhar, following which he was rushed to hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.

Singh’s family named five persons from Gauriganj, all of whom have a criminal record, for their alleged involvement in the murder.

As sought by the family members of the deceased, the DM had visited the post-mortem house on Wednesday, where the body of Sonu Singh was brought. In the video clip, the DM is seen dragging and pushing the cousin of the deceased, a senior PCS officer, Sunil Singh.

He is purportedly heard telling Sonu Singh's family members that there is no country in the world where killings do not take place and the administration is not God that it can prevent incidents of crime from taking place. "What would you have done had you been in our place? Would you have stopped the killing from taking place?" he is heard asking the crowd and when Sunil Singh pointed out that a Dial 100 police team was in the vicinity and it could have prevented the incident, the DM is seen almost dragging him holding his shirt and asking him to identify in the crowd as to who is carrying a gun.

When the people assembled there objected to his behaviour, the DM is also seen reprimanding them. Telling them that he is the senior-most officer of the district, Sharma is heard speaking about his problems and the sensitive times in which he and his officers have been working round-the-clock.