Uttar Pradesh home secretary R N Upadhyaya was shifted from his post on Wednesday after he sought to give a philosophical twist to the murder of three children.
Upadhyaya appeared to take refuge in spiritualism when confronted with a query on Wednesday evening on the killing of three children in Sonebhadra district by their father a few days ago, allegedly owing to his inability to feed them.
When asked whether reports that the father was too poor to look after them were true, Upadhyaya told reporters, Jisne janm liya hai, uska marna bhi nischit hai (Whosoever is born is certain to die).
The official then burst into laughter as if he was overjoyed at the philosophical explanation.
Inspector general of police (law and order) R K Vishwakarma, who was also present there, had earlier said the culprit had a fight with his wife over a family matter and he had perpetrated the crime in a fit of rage.
But Upadhyaya suddenly butted in and asked TV channels to remove their cameras, and then narrated a story quoting Lord Buddha.
Taking strong exception to the his ‘philosophical’ remarks, the state government late on Wednesday night shunted him out, and has kept him on the wait list.
Senior officials said it was an improper remark on a sensitive matter.
Upadhyaya, however, denied having made the comment and claimed that he had been quoted out of context.
It is not the first time, senior state officials have made insensitive remarks.
Earlier, a senior police officer had turned away a rape victim in her mid-thirties and refused to lodge her complaint, saying she was ‘too old to be raped’.
Another IPS officer, who was Aligarh district police chief, had rebuked the parents of a six-year-old, when they alleged that their daughter had been raped and murdered. He had asked them if they had seen her being raped.
