Recently, a picture of a young man sitting on the chair of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Salempur Tehsil in Uttar Pradesh’s Deoria district had gone viral on social media. Later, it was found out that he is none other than the driver of the officer. By this time, the photo had found its way into the SDM’s phone as well. She is IAS officer Seema Pandey, and she got the surprise of her life but certainly not a pleasant one. She not only registered a case against him but also ordered a departmental inquiry into the matter.
However, after this news went viral, netizens did not react positively to it. One person commented, “What’s wrong in it? If he felt happy for sometime by sitting on that chair, let’s not prove him a criminal for this act. SDM Mam, please show some compassion and forgive his mistake.”
Another person left a comment: “Ironic… a case was filed against the driver for sitting on the SDM’s chair… while in Rajasthan, one SDM was asking the doctor to leave his chair for her, so she could sit on it and took the video of the incident too… Wonder if the same case should be filed against her too…”
Going by the thread of comments, it seems the incident has set netizens thinking about whether the officer acted in haste and should have shown more consideration, especially if he indeed is her driver as reported by media.
