The Madhya Pradesh government issued a notice to IAS officer Santosh Verma for making objectionable comments against Brahmins.
The notice argues that the officer's comments damage the "social harmony and generate hostility between communities", which is inappropriate for a civil servant, and qualifies as serious misconduct under service rules.
Through the notice, the government has asked why disciplinary action should not be taken against him under the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969.
In the past few days, IAS officer Santosh Verma, who is also the state president of Anusuchit Jati Evam Janjati Adhikari Evam Karmachari Sangh (AJAKS) in Madhya Pradesh, made a controversial comment about Brahmin girls.
During the AJAKS provincial convention, Verma had said, "Until a Brahmin donates his daughter to my son, or has a relationship with her, reservations should continue."
The government’s show-cause notice argues that this statement prima facie appears to damage social harmony and generate hostility between communities, which is inappropriate for a civil servant, and qualifies as serious misconduct under service rules.
The notice invokes the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968 (Rules 3(1), 3(2)(b)(i)(ii)) and the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969, and demands that Santosh Verma explain why disciplinary action should not be initiated under Rule 10(1)(a) of the 1969 Rules, within seven days of receiving the notice.
Brahmin community demands strict action
The moment the video of this statement surfaced online, it triggered widespread outrage.
The All India Brahmin Society condemned the statement, calling it a direct insult to the community. The organisation's state president, Pushpendra Mishra, said the IAS officer had used indecent and objectionable language, unacceptable from a senior bureaucrat.
"The All India Brahmin Society requests the Chief Minister to address the situation. The Brahmin community is in a state of anger. We will request the Chief Minister to expel such a person with immediate effect, otherwise there will be protests across the state, and the government and administration will be held fully accountable," Mishra said.
"This is against All India Service ethics and tampering with Brahmin honor, indecent and objectionable. In a BJP government where the Ladli Laxmi and Ladli Behna schemes are implemented and the Prime Minister runs the "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" campaign, it is not right for an All India Service officer to make unparliamentary remarks about daughters," he added.
My aim was not to create a political uproar: IAS officer
On his alleged controversial statement, Verma said that his aim was not to create a political uproar. He said, "At a meeting of the state unit of AJJAKS, one agenda item for discussion was that reservations should be based on economic grounds, not religious basis. On this subject, I had said that if I am financially independent and not socially backward anymore, then my children should receive 'roti-beti' treatment from society."
