Datia patwari suspended over video of her firing banned carbide gun on Diwali

A woman patwari in Madhya Pradesh's Datia district has been suspended, after a video that appears to show her firing a banned calcium carbide gun spread widely on social media. The administration has also ordered a departmental inquiry against her.

The official is named in one account as Veena Verma and in another as Veena Rawat. The two accounts also spell the name of her posting differently, as Nonar and Noner. She is a patwari in that revenue circle (halka) of Datia.

The clip is said to have been recorded on Diwali day. It shows her using the carbide gun to set off firecrackers. It is alleged that she herself put the video on her social media account. It began circulating widely on Thursday and quickly raised the question of whether government employees are bound by the orders they are meant to enforce.

The state government had banned carbide guns for Diwali, citing the risk of accidents, and had told the collectors of all districts to enforce the ban strictly. In Datia, Collector Swapnil Bankhade had prohibited the purchase, sale, display and use of calcium carbide guns on October 22. The district administration had also warned the public against using such devices.

As the video travelled, people asked how an employee of the government could break an order issued by her own district administration. There was also debate over whether she did not know about the ban or chose to ignore it. Demands for an inquiry and suitable action followed.

Action came with an order issued on Thursday. Datia SDM Sonali Rajput suspended the patwari with immediate effect. The order held that using the gun despite the ban went against the conduct expected of a government servant. A departmental inquiry was directed at the same time.

The administration has said that anyone who violates the ban on calcium carbide guns in the district will face action as per the rules.