Sign In
By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
Bhopal: A senior IAS officer in Madhya Pradesh has sparked a political and social storm after a video of his comments at a public event in Bhopal went viral, prompting calls for a police case and strict disciplinary action.
Santosh Verma, who serves as the state president of the Anusuchit Jati-Janjati Adhikari Karmachari Sangh (AJJAKS), was speaking during a discussion on whether reservation should be granted on economic criteria. While addressing the audience, he said, "until a Brahmin donates his daughter to my son or has a relationship with him, reservations should continue."
The remark prompted immediate outrage, particularly from Brahmin groups. The All India Brahmin Society sharply criticised the statement, with its state president Pushpendra Mishra describing it as highly inappropriate and caste driven. He argued that it amounted to an insult to Brahmin women and was a breach of the conduct expected from an officer of the All India Services.
Mishra later posted on X, where he demanded the registration of an FIR, asserting that the IAS officer’s words constituted an affront to the community. He maintained that the remarks were objectionable and deeply disrespectful, and insisted that if the authorities failed to initiate criminal action, the Brahmin community would organise protests across the state.
He further observed that such statements were especially unacceptable at a time when government schemes like Ladli Laxmi, Ladli Behna, and Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao emphasised the dignity, safety, and empowerment of girls. Mishra conveyed that the organisation intended to pursue both legal and grassroots forms of protest should the state government decline to intervene, adding that the community was prepared to challenge the officer in court and through public demonstrations.
As criticism escalated, Verma issued a clarification, asserting that his remarks had been lifted out of context. He explained while talking to news agency ANI that his intention had never been to provoke a political dispute and that he had been referring to social parity, saying his children should be treated with equal acceptance if he was no longer economically dependent or socially disadvantaged.
