IAS officer’s VRS kicks up political row in Telangana, BRS accuses government of 'harassing' bureaucrats

Hyderabad: Senior IAS officer Syed Ali Murtaza Rizvi’s voluntary retirement has triggered a political row in Telangana with the BRS accusing the government of "harassing" bureaucrats to engage in corruption.

Rizvi, a 1999 batch officer who has about a decade of service left, opted for voluntary retirement from October 31 and the state government accepted it. The reason for his VRS are not known.

Addressing a press conference, BRS Working President KT Rama Rao alleged that IAS and IPS officers are opting for voluntary retirement (VRS) because they are being pressured to commit wrongful acts.

"Rizvi refused to carry out orders by Excise Minister Jupally Krishna Rao. The minister also wrote a letter to the government not to accept his resignation," Rao alleged.

Rijvi, who is currently serving as Principal Secretary, Revenue (Prohibition & Excise), could not be reached for comments.

A letter purportedly written by Krishna Rao to the Chief Secretary alleged that Rizvi was deliberately stalling a tendering process for high security holograms to be pasted on liquor bottles.