Author: Our Correspondent
Publication: The Telegraph
Date: October 9, 2002
The West Bengal state administrative
tribunal has revoked the suspension order of Biplab Das, VHP district secretary
and an employee of the public works department posted at the Burdwan medical
college. The authorities were asked "to allow Das to resume duty with all
financial benefits immediately" in the October 3 order.
But Das has not been allowed to
join work by the local authorities.
Das was suspended for organising
a VHP rally to celebrate Ram Navami at the local town hall on April 20,
where over 1,000 kar sevaks took a pledge to help construct a Ram Mandir
in Ayodhya. District magistrate Manoj Agarwal said Das had flouted government
service rules by holding the post of secretary of the VHP's district unit.
The suspension order, issued by
the PWD superintending engineer (electrical), said Das was found guilty
of criminal conspiracy against the state government for organising the
VHP's meeting that aimed at communal disharmony. Agarwal said Das was suspended
on April 23 on the government's instructions after he sent a report.
The controversy began when it was
found that the VHP rally was organised with permission from the district
administration. In fact, deputy magistrate Moni Mohan Chowdhury was present
at the town hall with a large posse of policemen to maintain peace. But
the district magistrate denied having given permission for the rally in
the town hall and later, Chowdhury denied he was present there with a police
force.
When Das challenged the suspension
order, the state administrative tribunal (SAT) said: "On scrutiny of the
records, we do not find any material of incriminating nature in this case
against the applicant (Das)."
Das' advocate, Jay Shankar Roy,
alleged that the PWD executive engineer did not allow Das to join office
on Monday despite the SAT's directives. Executive engineer Dibyojyoti Basak
said he had not received order from his superiors, allowing Das to resume
duty.
