Only days after Union Home Minister P Chidambaram referred to police officers being “kicked around like footballs”, more than 12,000 government employees in Rajasthan’s Chittorgarh district on Wednesday went on mass leave to protest against the transfer of District Collector Samit Sharma. The employees claim Sharma was transferred at the behest of a local Congress MLA.

There had been a two-day bandh in the district, as most of Chittorgarh’s residents and businessmen shut shop demanding that the government revoke the transfer order.

Rajasthan Accountants Association district vice-president Prahalad Rai Kheda said, “Sharma was the District Collector here since June 30 last year during which time the district improved by leaps and bounds. We believe it is unfair that he was suddenly transferred out of here.” He said various government employee associations had submitted memorandums in this regard to the new Collector, the Chief Minister and the Governor.

Sharma was transferred to Nagaur on September 13 in the latest round of IAS transfers. Such has been the clamour against the transfer that Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had to assure the public on Wednesday that Sharma’s transfer was not part of any vendetta and that his posting to Nagaur was prestigious.

The strikes and bandhs were called off, however, government employees insisted they would continue to protest peacefully.

Most of Chittorgarh believes that Sharma was transferred at the behest of Begu MLA Rajendra Singh Vidhudi. A local businessman, Balu Sudhar Jataliya said, “His work here was very good. Never has the public come out in support of an IAS officer like this.”

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