UP SDM Does Sit Ups To Apologize For Poor Sanitation

IAS officer, Rinku Singh Rahi was transferred by the Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday, just one day after a video surfaced showing him doing sit-ups in front of lawyers to publicly acknowledge the lack of cleanliness at his new assignment in Shahjahanpur's Puwaiyan tehsil.

The unusual event unfolded on Tuesday, Rahi's very first day as the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) in Puwaiyan. During an inspection of the tehsil grounds, he observed garbage strewn across the compound, filthy toilets, and individuals urinating in the open.

To set an example, he instructed the offenders to perform sit-ups as punishment, reported PTI. 

Later in the day, while meeting with a group of lawyers who were on strike, Rahi was questioned about the punishments. The lawyers pointed out that the administration shared the blame for the unhygienic conditions, citing the presence of stray animals and squalid washrooms.

Reportedly, in an unexpected gesture of humility, Rahi accepted responsibility for the administrative lapse. He held his ears and did sit-ups in front of the advocates, an act that was filmed and quickly spread across social media.

Rahi later told PTI that his goal was to promote better public behavior. "When I saw people urinating near the toilets, I asked them to use the facilities. When they refused, I made them do sit-ups," he explained.

He recalled his interaction with the lawyers, stating, "They asked if I would take responsibility for the dirty conditions in the tehsil and do sit-ups myself. I said yes, because it was our shortcoming, and I did it."

Shahjahanpur District Magistrate Dharmendra Pratap Singh confirmed that Rahi was relieved from his post. Administrative sources reported that Rahi did not return to the tehsil on Wednesday and subsequently left for his new posting in Lucknow.