Probe rubbishes allegations of casteist abuse levelled by 3 homeguards against Bahraich SDM

An administrative inquiry has found the allegations of casteist abuse and harassment levelled by three home guards against the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) posted in Mahsi tehsil of Bahraich district as ''unsubstantiated'', officials said on Thursday.

Additional District Magistrate Amit Kumar said the three home guards -- Rajar Ram Shukla, Ramakant Mishra and Ram Kumar Tiwari -- had on Wednesday sent a complaint to senior officials accusing IAS officer Alok Prasad, the SDM of Mahsi, of using casteist slurs, subjecting them to physical punishment and threatening them with dire consequences during duty hours.

Taking cognisance of the complaint, District Magistrate Akshay Tripathi ordered a probe, which was conducted on Thursday, the ADM said.

Statements of a differently-abled complainant, the tehsil staff and the three home guards were recorded during the inquiry.

According to Kumar, the inquiry report submitted by the chief revenue officer stated that the complainants failed to produce any concrete facts or evidence in support of their allegations, following which the complaint was found to be baseless.

Earlier, SDM Alok Prasad had rejected the allegations as false, saying he had only reprimanded the home guards for showing insensitivity towards a differently-abled petitioner, the officials added.