Did UP IAS officer sell vegetables by roadside? Bureaucrat explains what happened

In now-viral photos, Akhilesh Mishra, special secretary, transport department, is seen 'selling' vegetables at a roadside shop.

In the latest images going viral on social media, senior Uttar Pradesh IAS officer Akhilesh Mishra is seen “selling” vegetables by the roadside. The images show, Mishra, a special secretary in the state transport department, seated on what looks like a sack, with a variety of vegetables laid out in front of him. The photos seem to be from a busy roadside market as other vegetable sellers and customers can also be seen.

One of the photos going viral

Netizens are wondering if these are genuine or fake. Now, Mishra himself has come forward to clarify that while the images are indeed genuine, what people see is, of course, not what was actually happening. The IAS officer took to Facebook to explain what led to the now-viral photographs.

“Yesterday, I visited Prayagraj for some official work. While on my way back, I stopped at a place to take a look at the vegetables. The vegetable seller, an old lady, requested me to look after her shop, saying she would be back in a moment. Possibly, she had gone to look for her child who had gone away from the shop,” a rough translation of the post, shared in Hindi, read.

Image credit: Facebook

Since being uploaded, these have been seen by several users on the social media platform.