A cabinet minister was seen yelling at an additional district magistrate and additional superintendent of police of a west UP district for not being given guard of honour. He also questioned the absence of DM and SSP at a meeting convened by him to discuss the payment of dues to sugarcane growers.
A police outpost officer speaking indecently to an MLA, a plaque put up by a civic body not carrying the name of a local MLA, a legislator finding his name missing on the foundation stone of a bridge in his constituency... there are complaints galore.
Protocol violation complaints received by the UP legislative assembly continue to rise. Till May 25 this year, the assembly has already received 15 such complaints. This number was nearly 34 in 2024 and about 10 in 2023.
With apparently no let-up in protocol violation complaints by legislators, UP assembly Speaker Satish Mahana held a meeting with principal secretary (home) Sanjay Prasad and DGP Prashant Kumar. “We held a meeting...and officers have been asked to ensure that protocols are followed. The issues raised by them should be disposed of on merit. We have also asked officers to ensure that district police chiefs meet legislators at least once a month and the situation should be monitored at the state level,” said Mahana.
Those aware of developments said the state government issued several orders in recent months, asking officers to ensure that legislators are accorded due courtesy. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath too has taken strong exception to this and chief secretary Manoj Kumar Singh held a video conferencing with district magistrates and district police chiefs on the issue.
{{/usCountry}}Those aware of developments said the state government issued several orders in recent months, asking officers to ensure that legislators are accorded due courtesy. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath too has taken strong exception to this and chief secretary Manoj Kumar Singh held a video conferencing with district magistrates and district police chiefs on the issue.
{{/usCountry}}The state government, through many GOs, asked officers to feed contact numbers of legislators in their mobile phones and respond to calls. The state government also issued an order that legislators should be provided with the same type of chairs as are occupied by officers at official meetings.
Amid growing complaints about protocol violation, some serving and former officers also raised the point about ignorance or overenthusiasm on part of both officers and ministers. A senior officer said the minister’s concern for not being given guard of honour in a west UP district was not a violation of any rule.
“Some district officials go out of the way and give guard of honour to ministers. Protocol rules do not provide for guard of honour to state cabinet ministers. However, Union ministers declared state guests are given guard of honour,” said the officer, adding, the minister’s point about the absence of the DM at the meeting was also not justified. The DM was sick and so could not attend the meeting convened by the minister, said the officer.
A former IAS officer said he is aware of an officer who went to receive ministers on the borders of the district where he was posted. This was done to keep ministers/leaders in good humour and the officer was duly rewarded following his retirement, said the former IAS officer.