The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday transferred Hathras district magistrate Praveen Kumar Laxkar to Mirzapur. Mr. Laxkar role in the hurried, late night cremation on September 30 of a 19-year-old Dalit woman, who died after being brutally raped by four men, sparked nationwide outrage.
Responding to the transfer, the victim’s brother said he didn’t consider it a step towards justice. “We had demanded his termination and we would continue to raise the demand before the court,” he said.
The victim’s sister-in-law said Mr Laxkar didn’t deserve to be district magistrate of any district. “The daughters of Mirzapur would not feel safe. After burning the body of our daughter like an unidentified person, he tried to explain to us that there was nothing unusual in it. That too sitting in our courtyard,” she said.
She added it seemed like a step by the U.P. government to save face before the judiciary.
Underlining the need for a impartial probe, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court had expressed concern over the Uttar Pradesh government not taking any action against the DM.
Mr Laxkar was one of the 16 IAS officers transferred on Thursday. Ramesh Ranjan, Additional MD of the U.P. Jal Nigam will replace Mr. Laxkar.
