Delhi bureaucrat who protested against AAP over chief secretary assault faces Assembly action

Revenue secretary Manisha Saxena, a member of the Joint Forum of Delhi Government Employees, was at the forefront of protests against the Delhi government after an alleged attack on chief secretary Anshu Prakash by two AAP MLAs in the presence of CM Arvind Kejriwal.

Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel ordered two Assembly committees to study revenue secretary Manisha Saxena’s interview to a Hindi daily in which she alleged that on February 21 a mob attacked the principal and teachers of a government school for scolding a student.

Manisha Saxena, revenue secretary during a Candle Protest over the alleged assault on former Delhi chief secretary Anshu Prakash by Aam Aadmi Party MLAs, at Rajghat in New Delhi, on February 20, 2018. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

Saxena, a member of the Joint Forum of Delhi Government Employees, was at the forefront of protests against the government after an alleged attack on chief secretary Anshu Prakash by two AAP MLAs in the presence of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

On Tuesday, the Speaker referred the matter to Privileges Committee and Question and Reference Committee of the Assembly.

Speaking on the issue, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia termed Saxena’s interview as an “imaginary story” and said that such an incident never took place.

AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj, purportedly reading from the interview, said Saxena had said that all meetings of elected representatives should be live telecast so that people would know how they behave.

Bharadwaj said it was an insult to elected representatives and urged the matter to be referred to the Privileges Committee.

The chief secretary was allegedly attacked after he was called for a meeting at Kejriwal’s residence, following which bureaucrats have been boycotting all meetings with ministers.

On Monday, the AAP MLAs hit out at IAS officer Manisha Saxena over the interview and she was asked to appear in the Assembly on Tuesday.