Mysuru DC Rohini Sindhuri accused of 'harassing' MCC’s Shilpa Nag: All you need to know

Mysuru city corporation commissioner Shilpa Nag on Thursday resigned from her post alleging harassment by her superior, Rohini Sindhuri, the deputy commissioner of the district, over coronavirus disease (Covid-19) management.

In what comes as an apparent tussle between Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers in Karnataka, Mysuru city corporation commissioner Shilpa Nag on Thursday resigned from her post alleging harassment by Rohini Sindhuri, her senior and the deputy commissioner of the district, over coronavirus disease (Covid-19) management. In a press conference announcing her resignation, Nag said, "There is no conducive atmosphere for me to discharge my duties. No one should ever face a situation like this."

Rohini Sindhuri (L) debunked the allegations levelled against her and blamed IAS officer Shilpa Nag (R) for submitting "contradictory" ward-wise Covid-19 data. (Photo via social media)

Rohini Sindhuri, on the other hand, denied the allegations levelled against her and blamed IAS officer Shilpa Nag for submitting "contradictory" ward-wise Covid-19 data.

Here's a rundown of the controversy surrounding these two IAS officers in Mysuru:

What is the controversy about?

At its heart, the controversy in Mysuru centres on two IAS officers accusing each other of showing personal grudge.

Shilpa Nag, a 2014-batch IAS officer who has been the Mysuru city commissioner (MCC) since February earlier this year, alleged that Mysuru district deputy commissioner Rohini Sindhuri has been "targetting" her after media reports stated that the MCC has been doing a decent job in controlling the Covid-19 outbreak in the city.

Shilpa Nag's accusations

Shilpa Nag said that Rohini Sindhuri held a "personal grudge" against her and resented the praise that the MCC was getting for managing the Covid-19 situation. Nag said that she is sending her resignation to the chief secretary.

"Today I am resigning. There is no conducive atmosphere for me to discharge my duties. No one should ever face a situation like this," said Shilpa Nag in a press conference on Thursday.

Nag said that despite getting most of the work done within her corporation limits, there were calls being made to her office citing dereliction of duty in the preparation of the Covid-19 pandemic in the city.

“They are meting out insults and spreading misinformation. No one should work with so much arrogance,” she said, making another apparent reference to Sindhuri. “I cannot work in this suffocating environment,” she added.

Rohini Sindhuri's response

Rohini Sindhuri, a 2009-batch IAS officer, denied all the allegations levelled against her as "false" and "baseless", and in turn, accused Shilpa Nag of dereliction of duty. “It is untrue that there was any harassment from me and none has been mentioned even in the statement issued by Shilpa Nag,” said Sindhuri on Thursday.

Rejecting the allegation of harassment as untrue, the deputy commissioner of Mysuru district said, "The Mysuru city corporation was submitting unsigned and contradictory ward-wise Covid-19 figures on new cases, deaths and active cases. I had ordered that same be rectified."

Rohini Sindhuri also said that Shilpa Nag had of late stopped attended coronavirus review meetings convened by her. She even said that Nag is yet to furnish details of CSR coming in from private companies towards the pandemic and other works.

“It is for everyone to note that over the last 10 days Shilpa has been issuing statements to press and media against the district administration. Such conduct not expected from a Mysuru city commissioner,” Sindhuri added.