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Hindustan Times
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
After standoff with DM, Kanpur chief medical officer suspended
Following a high-profile bureaucratic standoff, the state government has suspended Kanpur's chief medical officer (CMO) Dr Hari Dutt Nemi who was embroiled in months of tension with district magistrate Jitendra Pratap Singh. The suspension order also attaches Dr Nemi to the state headquarters and initiates a departmental inquiry into alleged irregularities in the appointment of doctors, as well as procedural and administrative lapses. Dr Nemi has said he will challenge his suspension in court. Dr Udaynath, additional CMO from Shravasti, has been appointed as the new Kanpur CMO. The administrative action comes a day after Hindustan Times prominently featured the controversy. The state government has cited three key grounds for Dr Nemi's suspension: failure to publish recruitment notices on the National Health Mission's website, delay in releasing interview results despite specific directives, and relieving a senior finance officer from statutory responsibilities in violation of protocol. After his suspension, Dr Nemi sent a letter to chief minister Yogi Adityanath and held a press conference. During the press conference, he alleged caste-based discrimination and extortion demands by the district magistrate. He claimed that the DM was angered when he refused to reverse the transfer of Dr Subodh Prakash Yadav—an ACMO accused of corruption and political bias—and that he was repeatedly humiliated for being a Dalit. 'The DM told me I lacked intelligence, could not understand the system, and didn't know how to earn money,' Dr Nemi alleged during the press conference. Reacting to Dr Nemi's allegations, district magistrate Jitendra Pratap Singh said that publicly criticising an official suspension order and levelling baseless allegations against fellow officers amounts to gross indiscipline. He also said all relevant facts have been communicated to the competent authority and that appropriate action will be taken in accordance with procedure. The tensions reportedly began on February 5, 2025, when the DM conducted a surprise inspection at the CMO's office and found 34 employees absent, prompting a public reprimand and salary deductions. Since then, administrative hostilities intensified, with mutual accusations of insubordination and corruption. One of the most serious allegations levelled by Dr Nemi is that the DM pressured him to clear a payment of over ₹1.6 crore to JM Pharma—a firm reportedly chargesheeted by the CBI. The CMO claimed to have resisted the order, citing a 125-page departmental report and a warning letter issued by the senior finance officer. The controversy soon spiralled. While a section of BJP MLAs from Kanpur had reportedly expressed support for Dr Nemi, others wrote to the chief minister demanding his immediate removal on grounds of alleged irregularities and insubordination. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav had also publicly taken a jibe over the issue. Audio recordings purportedly featuring Dr Nemi and his driver had also surfaced. In one clip, Dr Nemi was heard criticising the DM in strong language.
The Print
15 hours ago
- Health
- The Print
Kanpur CMO suspended after public spat with DM that exposed UP BJP rift
During his suspension period, Nemi would be attached to the Directorate General and Medical Health Services in Lucknow. According to a government order issued Thursday, Shravasti Additional Chief Medical Officer Uday Nath has been appointed as the new CMO of Kanpur. After the suspension order, Nemi addressed a press conference here, alleging the DM was 'pressuring' him to carry out 'illegal' work, and went after him since the CMO denied to oblige. Lucknow: Kanpur Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Hari Dutt Nemi was suspended Thursday after days of public spat with District Magistrate Jitendra Pratap Singh, a dispute that threatened to cause divisions with the state BJP with party MLAs taking sides. The district magistrate and the chief medical officer were locked in a public quarrel for days. At the centre of their fight are corruption allegations against Nemi and the CMO questioning Singh's style of functioning. Singh sought the CMO's removal. Their fights also brought to the fore the differences within the BJP, with some MLAs siding with the CMO, while others with the DM. Samajwadi Party claimed that while it may appear to be a case of two officers sparring, it is actually a fight between Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his deputy Brajesh Pathak who is also state health minister. A section of BJP legislators from Kanpur, including Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana, lobbied in favour of Nemi, urging the government not to remove him. Mahana wrote to Pathak Tuesday, defending the CMO's conduct and urging he be allowed to continue in Kanpur. Mahana praised Nemi's 'people-friendly' approach and effective implementation of government health schemes. BJP MLC Arun Pathak and Govindnagar MLA Surendra Maithani wrote separate letters to the deputy chief minister, commending the CMO's 'respectful' behavior towards public representatives. However, BJP MLA from Bithoor Abhijeet Singh Sanga took a different stand and wrote to Chief Minister Adityanath, rather than Pathak. In his letter, Sanga accused Nemi of corruption and alleged the CMO was behind the circulation of controversial audio clips that allegedly maligned the district magistrate. He further claimed Nemi misbehaved with staff, disobeyed government orders, and manipulated doctor transfers for personal gain. Former BJP MLA Neeraj Chaturvedi also waded into the controversy, alleging Tuesday that the assembly speaker, without naming him, is influencing the matter in favour of the CMO. Chaturvedi sought a thorough investigation into the CMO's working style. Also Read: Sarkar vs Sangathan in UP BJP, deputy Maurya takes dig at CM Yogi — 'party bigger than govt' The controversy The controversy began after DM Singh raised concerns over the functioning of the district's health department last month. In a letter to the state government, he alleged serious irregularities in healthcare services, citing alleged deficiencies found during inspections of Community Health Centres (CHCs) and Primary Health Centres (PHCs). He also mentioned alleged arbitrary transfers of doctors under Nemi's tenure. Singh accused the CMO of negligence and unprofessional conduct, and claimed this has contributed to the deteriorating state of health services in the district. Tensions escalated after three audio clips, purportedly featuring CMO Nemi making derogatory remarks about the DM, surfaced on social media. 'This is the only DM in 75 districts who is taking credit for everything. If any meeting can happen in 20 minutes, he takes an hour to narrate stories from all around the world and exaggerates things. Now I am seeing women who go for meetings get irritated,' he was heard saying. Nemi, however, denied it was his voice and claimed it was AI-generated. The authenticity of these audio clips has not been independently verified by ThePrint. But after the matter escalated following several complaints from health officials, district magistrate Singh wrote a letter to the principal secretary of health to remove the CMO, saying that several complaints had been received against him for not following government orders, mentally harassing district health officials and seeking bribes for transfer postings. Also on Saturday, the DM confronted the CMO about the clips during a meeting. Nemi questioned the authenticity of the recordings, claiming they were manipulated using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to malign his image. Not satisfied with the response, the DM asked the CMO to leave the meeting. Responding to the charges, Nemi reiterated his innocence and alleged a conspiracy to tarnish his image. He said his sole focus was to improve the functioning of the health department. According to sources in the district administration, the DM had flagged instances of alleged negligence on part of the CMO during multiple surprise inspections over the last few months. He planned to take action after these visits. The CMO had also been reportedly absent from the office for the past few days. In the meanwhile, a photo of a saffron towel purportedly placed on his chair went viral on social media, garnering a lot of attention. Samajwadi Party MLA Amitabh Bajpai said, 'The rift between officials and BJP MLAs is common in the state, but I feel that this issue is actually between Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak. Common people are feeling betrayed by this government as corruption has not stopped.' Bajpai hinted the DM is considered close to Chief Minister Adityanath and the CMO is in the good books of Deputy Chief Minister Pathak. (Edited by Ajeet Tiwari) Also Read: Kanpur DM–medical officer spat exposes faultlines within UP BJP. Dy CM Pathak is caught in the middle
The Print
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Print
Kanpur DM–medical officer spat exposes faultlines within UP BJP. Dy CM Pathak is caught in the middle
Many BJP MLAs, including state Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana, have rallied behind CMO Nemi and written to UP Health Minister Brajesh Pathak not to remove him. On the other hand, MLAs Abhijeet Singh Sanga and Mahesh Trivedi, as well as BJP MP Ramesh Awasthi, have thrown their weight behind the DM. District Magistrate Jitendra Pratap Singh and Chief Medical Officer Hari Dutt Nemi are locked in a dispute, at the centre of which are corruption allegations against Nemi and him allegedly questioning DM Singh's style of functioning, with Singh seeking the CMO's removal. New Delhi: A feud between Kanpur's district magistrate and chief medical officer has laid bare fissures within Uttar Pradesh's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with one section of party leaders siding with the former and the other backing the latter. Pathak, who is also the deputy chief minister, is caught in the middle, reportedly waiting to know Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's stance before taking a definitive stand. A senior state BJP leader said the infighting reflected poorly on the party: 'During the Lok Sabha election, the BJP suffered due to official apathy, despite warnings from BJP MLAs. Such public infighting lowers the image of the government. With assembly elections just two years away, such spats between officers can dent the government's image.' Both officers have also been posting videos on X defending themselves amid the political storm. Also Read: UP BJP leader sacked over obscene video, says clip fake, was served 'intoxicant-laced' cold drink Flurry of controversial audio clips The controversy started when an audio clip, purportedly featuring CMO Nemi, came under circulation, where he could be heard commenting on the district magistrate's style of functioning, calling him an 'attention seeker'. 'This is the only DM in 75 districts who is taking credit for everything. If any meeting can happen in 20 minutes, he takes an hour to narrate stories from all around the world and exaggerates things. Now I am seeing women who go for meetings get irritated,' he was heard saying. In another clip, the CMO was allegedly heard demanding bribes. He, however, denied that it was his voice, saying that it was AI-generated. The authenticity of these audio clips has not been independently verified by ThePrint. But after the matter escalated following several complaints from health officials, district magistrate Singh wrote a letter to the principal secretary of health to remove the CMO, saying that several complaints had been received against him for not following government orders, mentally harassing district health officials and seeking bribes for transfer postings. 'The CMO has transferred Dr R.N. Singh nine times in 10 days, and moved finance officer Vandana Singh to a non-finance department. Under the CMO, the status of the district's health infrastructure is pathetic. At many places, fraud attendance was registered and no action was initiated against absentees. The CMO's administration was found to be weak, and that is why action is needed against him,' Singh wrote. Nemi denied the allegations, claiming that the transfers were legitimate. He said the doctor was transferred only three times, and not nine, and that too because of complaints against him. 'The audio is AI-generated and DM saheb has been misguided by a few department officials. A few officials are putting pressure for bill payment and they have briefed DM saheb,' he told media persons. The conflict escalated Sunday when the DM asked the CMO to leave during a review meeting with the chief minister after asking him about the audio tapes. During the meeting, when the CMO told the DM that 'it wasn't his voice but an AI-generated audio, the DM said, 'Then you should register an FIR and investigate the matter.' Political turn The row soon took a political turn with some BJP MLAs lobbying in favour of the CMO and against the district magistrate, while others backing the DM. Assembly Speaker Mahana wrote to health minister Pathak asking for the CMO to not be transferred, citing his good behaviour and administrative skills. 'He is a good officer and always available for the people. So he should not be transferred,' he wrote. BJP MLA from Kanpur, Arun Pathak, also wrote to the health minister, requesting him not to transfer the CMO, describing him as a good officer implementing both state and central health schemes with dedication. He told ThePrint, 'The CMO met me and explained his side. He's a good officer who helps us. As public representatives, whenever we send someone during a health crisis, he takes personal interest and ensures they get help. That's why we've requested the minister not to transfer him. If there's an issue with the DM, the government will investigate and take action if needed.' Another party MLA Surendra Naithani made the same recommendation in a letter to the minister. 'The CMO's conduct was found to be satisfactory, and our job is to save such officers,' he told ThePrint. However, BJP MLA Sanga came out in support of the DM. In a letter to the chief minister, not the deputy chief minister, Sanga alleged, 'Many illegal private hospitals are running under the protection of the CMO and the CMO takes commissions from them. As a result, the state of government hospitals is deteriorating day by day, and poor people have been forced to take treatment in private hospitals. So, I request to start an enquiry against the CMO and transfer him.' A source in the BJP said that the party's Kanpur MP Ramesh Awasthi also aligned himself with the DM. 'When the CMO visited his residence to request him to write a letter, the MP refused. Although a few party men pressured the MP to write in favour of the CMO, he told them the CMO was corrupt, and the DM had been doing a good job of streamlining corrupt officers,' the source told ThePrint. According to party sources, one section of the UP BJP is now backing the medical officer, while some officials from the Chief Minister's Office are siding with the DM. 'It's turning into a CM office-versus-deputy CM conflict. Between Yogi and Pathak, BJP leaders are choosing their side,' said a second source. He added that the health minister was caught between supporting the official who comes under him on the one hand, and the chief minister on the other. 'He is waiting for the dust to settle and watching the chief minister's moves, so he can take a position.' The source further said that Pathak has, in the past, asserted his authority over departmental officials to show his supremacy. 'This led to the transfer of then Health Secretary Amit Mohan in 2022 after he transferred many doctors without his approval.' Opposition leader and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav took a dig at the chief minister Tuesday, saying, 'Earlier, the DCM and OCM (outgoing CM) were fighting. The engines were colliding. Now the cabins of the train are colliding, guard cabins too are colliding, and officers are fighting in the open.' (Edited by Sugita Katyal) Also Read: Businesses battered, but 'aayega toh Modi hi' — why Kanpur's small business owners still back BJP
