MP Collector Transferred Over ‘Aukat’ Remark, CM Mohan Yadav Says Won’t Tolerate Such Language

Kishor Kanyal, the Shajapur district collector in Madhya Pradesh, was removed from the post by the state government on Wednesday following his “aukat” (status) remark amid a protest by truck drivers. The Madhya Pradesh government’s decision came in view of the controversy that erupted after the Shajapur collector questioned the ‘aukat’ (status) of a driver during the protest.

Announcing the decision, the Chief Minister’s Office said that CM Mohan Yadav’s decision to remove Kishor Kanyal from the collector’s post was taken due to the officer’s use of derogatory language. The Chief Minister said that such type of language will not be tolerated under his government.

The Madhya Pradesh government further issued an order to shift Kanyal to the post of state deputy secretary and appointed Narsinghpur’s collector Riju Bafna as the new collector of Shajapur.

“On the instructions of Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav, after the officer used abusive words during the meeting between truck drivers and the administration in Shajapur, the General Administration Department transferred Collector Shri Kishore Kumar Kanyal and now posted Ms Riju Bafna as Shajapur District Collector,” the official X handle of Chief Minister Office said.

What happened?

During a meeting with the representatives of a drivers’ union on Tuesday, Kanyal lost his cool and became furious during the conversation. When a representative of the divers asked him to talk nicely, a Kanyal said, “Kya karoge tum, kya aukat hai tumhari?” However, he later expressed regret if anyone was hurt by his words.

A video of the incident went viral on the internet, showing Kanyal asking drivers and others to not take the law into their own hands.

Reacting to the episode, CM Yadav said, “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we work for the uplift of the poor. No matter how big an officer is, he should respect the work and feelings of the poor. As a human being, this kind of language will not be tolerated under our government.” Yadav said he himself is the son of a labourer.

“I believe that officers who speak such language don’t deserve to be in the field posting. I expect that the officer posted there (as Shajapur collector) will keep a check on such behaviour. I am pained by this,” the CM said.