A sub-divisional officer in a Uttar Pradesh government power distribution company on Wednesday landed in soup after he was suspended from his duty for putting up a picture of slain Al-Qaeda terrorist Osama-Bin-Laden on his desk, with an accompanying caption underneath the picture that read: “Respected Osama bin Laden, world’s best junior engineer”.
Senior district officers took cognisance of the matter after Laden’s picture went viral on social media, officials said. Harsh disciplinary action has been initiated against Gautam over the violation of the Uttar Pradesh Government Servants’ Conduct Manual, 1956. The senior officers ordered the SDO’s suspension and the picture of Laden was also removed from the office. A probe report will be sent to the UP government soon.
“Managing Director of DVVNL has suspended SDO Ravindra Prakash Gautam following an inquiry into the incident,” Farrukhabad District Magistrate Sanjay Kumar Singh told news agency PTI.
The engineer, however, remained adamant despite his suspension from service. “Anyone can be an idol. Osama was the best junior engineer in the world. The picture has been removed, but I have several copies,” Gautam said in defence of his action. According to a preliminary probe, Gautam had put up Laden’s poster after he had read in a book that Laden had a civil engineering degree.
Osama Bin Laden was eliminated in a covert US military operation in Pakistan’s Abbottabad in 2011 after a decade-long hunt for his role in the infamous twin tower attacks on New York’s World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001. Laden was believed to be the founder of the Al-Qaeda terrorist network.
