Chaos erupted at the Vikas Bhawan premises in the Fatehpur district of Uttar Pradesh on October 15 when an aggrieved complainant poured petrol over himself in an attempt to commit suicide inside the District Panchayat Raj Officer's complex. Alert staff members present in the office acted swiftly to restrain the man before he could ignite the fuel, preventing a tragedy. Following the incident, the agitated complainant accused the DPRO of accepting a Rs 5 lakh bribe to halt punitive action against a village pradhan, a charge the official strongly refuted.
Allegations of Illegal Shop Construction and Land Grab
The controversy stems from a village panchayat located within the Ghazipur block of Fatehpur. According to complainant Ajay Pratap Singh, alias Jabbar Singh, the village pradhan and panchayat secretary conspired to construct commercial shops on land designated under the collector's jurisdiction within the gaon sabha. He alleged that instead of following legal allotment procedures, these newly built shops were sold off to individuals for sums ranging from Rs 7 lakh to Rs 10 lakh each.
Information secured through the Right to Information process confirmed that no public auction was ever conducted for the disposal or lease of these commercial units. The complainant stated that multiple departmental inquiries had already established the pradhan's guilt, yet senior administrative authorities refrained from taking decisive penal action against the perpetrators.
Prolonged Delay and Claims of Bribery
Ajay Pratap Singh alleged that the village head managed to derail the punitive process by paying a Rs 5 lakh bribe inside the DPRO office. Describing his frustration, he mentioned that he had been made to run from pillar to post for three years under the pretext of ongoing investigations, adding that he feared losing his life before genuine administrative action was initiated. Following the commotion, Advocate Gupta and several other individuals present at the complex also raised concerns regarding rampant corruption within the department.
Administrative Response and Official Rebuttal
In response, the DPRO dismissed all bribery allegations as completely baseless. Providing a timeline of the official proceedings, the officer explained that an inquiry committee had indeed investigated the matter following the initial complaint. Based on that probe committee's findings, the District Magistrate issued a formal show-cause notice to the village pradhan on September 25, granting a 15-day window to submit a formal defense.
The official clarified that the notice was duly served to the pradhan on October 7. The DPRO maintained that any final disciplinary or recovery action falls strictly under the jurisdiction of the District Magistrate as per established service and administrative rules, denying any institutional delay or complicity at the panchayat department's level.
