‘Trample Me Under Your Feet’, IAS Officer Ashok Khemka Transferred Yet Again, Expresses Anguish on Twitter

Senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka has been transferred for reportedly the 52nd time in his career.

New Delhi: Senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka, who hit headlines in 2012 after cancelling the mutation of a land deal between UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra’s Skylight Hospitality and major real estate developer DLF, on Tuesday appeared to be questioning his frequent transfers in a tweet.

किसके हितों की रक्षा करूँ? तुम्हारा या उनका जिनका आप प्रतिनिधित्व का दावा करते हैं?
दम्भ है हमें पैरों तले रौंदोगे। शौक से, कई बार सहा है, एक बार और सही।

— Ashok Khemka (@AshokKhemka_IAS) March 5, 2019

The 1991-batch IAS officer’s tweet came two days after the Manohar Lal Khattar-led Haryana government transferred him for the sixth time since 2014. He was transferred alongwith nine others.

According to a report in Scroll.in, no reason was mentioned in Khemka’s transfer order issued by Chief Secretary DS Dhesi.

Read: ‘You’re Destroying Forest,’ Supreme Court Tells Haryana, Asks it Not to Enact Law Allowing Construction in Aravalli Forest

Although, The Indian Express reported that Khemka’s transfer comes in the backdrop of him criticizing the Haryana government for passing amendments in an Act that allows construction in the Aravalli hills. The Supreme Court too on March 1 questioned the government’s move and called the decision ‘shocking’.

OVER 50 TRANSFERS SO FAR

Khemka, who was posted for nearly 15 months in the Sports and Youth Affairs Department, headed by state minister Anil Vij, has reportedly been transferred for over 50 times in his career so far.

Ashok Khemka, principal secretary of Sports and Youth Affairs Department was posted Sunday as principal secretary of Science and Technology Department, a post which he held earlier.

Before being transferred to the Sports and Youth Affairs Department in November 2017, Khemka held the charge of principal secretary in Social Justice and Empowerment Department.

With PTI inputs