Bhopal: In a strong display of administrative discipline, Mohan Yadav has taken action against 18 senior officers in Madhya Pradesh in just over two years, reinforcing his government’s message of accountability in governance. The latest action came with the removal of Ankit Soni and Swarochish Somvanshi over separate allegations of negligence and administrative failure.
Since assuming office on December 13, 2023, Mohan Yadav has averaged one major disciplinary action roughly every 46 days. Officials indicate that during this period, 10 IAS officers serving as Collectors, 8 IPS officers serving as Superintendents of Police, along with other senior officers, have faced removal, transfer, suspension or disciplinary intervention in connection with major administrative lapses, law-and-order failures, disaster response issues and public controversies.
Guna SP Ankit Soni Removed in Bribery-Linked Police Lapse
The most recent action came on March 22, when Guna SP Ankit Soni was removed after a serious bribery-related police controversy surfaced in Guna.
According to reports, police personnel allegedly released a businessman from Gujarat after seizing ₹1 crore from him and accepting a bribe of ₹20 lakh without initiating legal proceedings.
The case triggered immediate disciplinary action:
• Four police personnel were suspended
• The suspended officials included the Station House Officer (SHO)
• Administrative accountability was fixed at district police leadership level
The removal of the SP is being viewed as a direct signal that command responsibility will be enforced in sensitive financial misconduct cases.
Sidhi Collector Swarochish Somvanshi Removed After Complaints of Administrative Inaccessibility
On the same day, Sidhi Collector Swarochish Somvanshi was also removed following repeated complaints regarding his functioning in Sidhi.
Officials and public representatives reportedly complained that:
• He spent very little time in the Collectorate
• Often visited office only briefly in the evening
• Administrative accessibility remained poor
There were also reports that a Fire No Objection Certificate linked to a project initiated by the local MP had been withheld, further intensifying dissatisfaction.
The action reflected the state government’s increasing sensitivity to district-level administrative responsiveness.
Ashoknagar Collector Aditya Singh Removed in Anandpur Sahib Trust Controversy
Earlier, on January 24, Aditya Singh was removed as Collector of Ashoknagar following allegations linked to action involving the Anandpur Sahib Trust.
The controversy centered around allegations of bribery in district-level proceedings connected to the trust. However, the trust later clarified publicly that it had not filed any complaint against the Collector.
Despite that, the state government replaced him with Saket Malviya, who had been serving at the Employee Selection Board.
The removal drew attention because Aditya Singh had earlier been credited with top performance in the Election Commission’s Summary Revision process.
Indore Water Contamination Deaths Trigger Action Against Civic Officials
A major administrative intervention followed the death of 23 people in Bhagirathpura area of Indore after sewage-contaminated water supply.
On January 2, the government removed:
• Dilip Yadav
• Rohit Sisonia
Dilip Yadav was later shifted as Deputy Secretary in Rural Development and subsequently transferred to the Tourism Corporation.
Rohit Sisonia was posted as Deputy Secretary in the state secretariat.
On January 3, Kshitij Singhal was appointed new Municipal Commissioner of Indore, while:
• Akash Singh
• Prakhar Singh
• Ashish Pathak
were appointed as Additional Commissioners.
Mauganj Collector and SP Removed After Gadra Violence and Killing of Police Officer
A major law-and-order crisis in Mauganj led to the removal of district leadership on March 18.
Collector Ajay Srivastava and SP Rasna Thakur were transferred after violence in Gadra village.
The incident began when:
• Sunny Dwivedi, a local youth, was allegedly held captive and beaten to death
• A police rescue team came under attack
• ASI Ramgovind Gautam was killed
• Several police personnel and the Tehsildar were injured
Following the incident:
• Ajay Srivastava was posted as Deputy Secretary in Public Asset Management and Sports
• Sanjay Kumar Jain took charge as Collector
• Rasna Thakur was shifted to Police Headquarters as AIG
• Dilip Kumar Soni became new SP
Sagar Wall Collapse: Collector, SP and SDM Removed After Death of Nine Children
On August 4, 2024, nine children died after a house wall collapsed in Shahpur area of Sagar.
The state government responded by removing:
• Deepak Arya
• Abhishek Tiwari
• Sandeep Singh
Subsequently, it emerged that SP Abhishek Tiwari had been abroad for 15 days before the incident and had been seeking transfer for months.
Shajapur Collector Removed Over Viral ‘Status’ Remark
In January 2024, Kishore Kanyal, then Collector of Shajapur, was removed after a video from a meeting with truck drivers during a nationwide transport strike went viral.
In the video, the Collector was seen questioning a driver about his “status,” triggering public criticism.
Though he later expressed regret, he was removed the next day and appointed Deputy Secretary.
Harda Blast: SP and Collector Removed After Firecracker Factory Disaster
A major explosion in a firecracker factory in Harda on February 7, 2024 killed 13 people and injured more than 75.
The government removed:
• Sanjeev Kumar Kanchan
• Rishi Garg
In addition, factory inspector Naveen Kumar Barwa was suspended.
Seoni Collector and SP Removed After Cattle Slaughter Tensions
In June 2024, communal and social tension escalated in Seoni after carcasses of more than 50 slaughtered cattle were found dumped in Dhuma and Dhanora areas.
The incident led to shutdowns in Seoni and neighbouring Mandla.
On June 23, the government removed:
• Kshitij Singhal as Collector
• Rakesh Kumar Singh as SP
Kshitij Singhal was later appointed Managing Director of the Madhya Kshetra Vidyut Vitaran Company.
Rakesh Kumar Singh was shifted to Police Headquarters as AIG and later posted as SP of Chhindwara.
Sunil Kumar Mehta, then SP Indore Rural, was posted as new SP Seoni.
Administrative Pattern Signals Strong Accountability Model
Officials note that across all these cases, the common administrative pattern under Mohan Yadav has been:
• Immediate district-level accountability
• Fast transfers after high-impact incidents
• Direct intervention in politically sensitive failures
• Administrative signalling through visible officer action
The repeated removals suggest the Chief Minister is using officer accountability as a central governance tool.
