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New Delhi: The Madhya Pradesh government on Thursday removed IAS officer Santosh Verma from his post as deputy secretary (agriculture) and recommended his dismissal to the central government, alleging that he used forged documents to secure his promotion from the state administrative service.
The action stems from a recent incident in which Verma allegedly made derogatory remarks targeting Brahmin women. During a public event, he reportedly claimed that “unless a Brahmin donates his daughter to my son or a ‘relationship’ is established between them, my son cannot enjoy the benefits of reservation.”
The remarks sparked massive outrage within the Brahmin community, prompting several groups to announce a protest at Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s residence on Sunday. They accused Verma of insulting women, hurting religious sentiments, and making provocative statements.
In an official statement, CM Yadav said Verma had obtained an integrity certificate for his promotion by forging documents at the final stage. Yadav added that Verma’s reply to the show-cause notice was unsatisfactory. “He is continuously issuing undignified statements. Therefore, it has been decided to issue a charge sheet against him,” the Chief Minister said. He also ordered strict action in the forgery case registered against Verma.
Verma was earlier arrested in 2021 after a woman accused him of assault and promising marriage. He was released on bail, and a departmental inquiry was underway. Subsequently, he was suspended by the state government.
The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) stated that a proposal for Verma’s dismissal from the IAS has been sent to the Central government, noting that he secured his promotion using allegedly forged and fabricated documents to show he had been exonerated from criminal cases. “Criminal cases are pending against Verma in various courts. The IAS promotion obtained on the basis of forged documents and fraud is invalid,” the CMO said.
In another incident, Verma accused the High Court of discriminating against Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates by preventing them from becoming civil judges despite reservation. “This is the same High Court from which we seek a guarantee of adherence to the Constitution,” he claimed.
A controversial video later surfaced in which Verma is seen saying, “How many Santosh Vermas will you kill, how many will you burn, how many will you swallow? A Santosh Verma will emerge from every house, and when one emerges from every house, you will not have the power to burn every Santosh Verma.”
Following his remarks at a conference of the SC and ST Officers and Employees Association in Bhopal on November 23, Verma was moved to the General Administrative Department pool without any assigned work. He was elected president of the association shortly before the controversy erupted.
