By Karmrath News Desk
Madhya Pradesh: The Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Dewas, Anand Malviya, has been suspended by the Madhya Pradesh government after an official order he issued included politically sensitive content, including a reference to a controversial remark made by a state minister Kailash Vijayvargiya. The suspension, ordered on January 5 by Ujjain Divisional Commissioner Ashish Singh, came after the January 3 order went viral on social media and drew criticism from senior officials for departing from standard administrative language and procedure.
The order was originally meant to assign duties to subordinate officers to maintain law and order in Dewas ahead of a protest called by the Congress party over the Indore water contamination tragedy. However, it reportedly included detailed allegations from a Congress memorandum, such as claims that 14 people had died and 2,800 were being treated after consuming contaminated water supplied by the BJP-ruled Indore Municipal Corporation.
Most controversially, the order quoted a remark by Urban Development and Housing Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya, in which he used the colloquial term “ghanta” in response to a journalist’s question about the water crisis. The SDM’s draft described the remark as “inhuman and a sign of authoritarian behaviour,” language that senior officials deemed inappropriate for an official government order.
The controversy arose after the order circulated widely on social media for including politically charged language instead of standard bureaucratic wording. This included both the reference to Vijayvargiya’s comment and various opposition allegations against the state government.
The state administration took serious note of the lapse and concluded the order contained politically sensitive content and unverified data, amounting to “serious negligence, indifference and misconduct” in official duties, as per procedures under the Madhya Pradesh Civil Services Conduct Rules.
Officials indicated part of the problematic content may have been incorporated from the Congress memorandum prepared for the protest notice. However, signing and issuing the order with that language on government letterhead made the SDM responsible.
During his suspension, Malviya’s headquarters were fixed at the Ujjain Divisional Commissioner’s office, and he will receive a subsistence allowance as per service rules. No formal statement has yet been released by Minister Vijayvargiya in response to the suspension.
