UP IAS officer transferred a day after publicly acknowledging civic failures with sit-ups

Rinkoo Singh Rahee hails from Aligarh and has a long history of anti-corruption efforts. (Image: @ANI)

The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday transferred IAS officer Rinkoo Singh Rahee to the Board of Revenue in Lucknow, a day after a video surfaced showing him performing sit-ups while holding his ears during a protest by lawyers in Shahjahanpur district.

Rahee, 43, had only just assumed his first post as an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer. On Monday, he took charge as the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Puwayan tehsil in Shahjahanpur after completing his IAS training, having cleared the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination in 2023.

Originally appointed to the Provincial Civil Services (PCS),Rahee is known for his integrity and anti-corruption efforts. His tenure as Social Welfare Officer in Muzaffarnagar in 2009 was marked by a brutal assassination attempt, allegedly due to his exposure of irregularities in government schemes. He was shot six times, sustaining life-threatening injuries, and continues to carry a bullet fragment in his body. He lost an eye and suffered severe facial and jaw damage in the attack.

On Tuesday, just an hour after taking charge as SDM, Rahee carried out an inspection of the tehsil premises. He reportedly found poor sanitation, waterlogging, and widespread public urination despite the presence of toilets. In response, he instructed some residents to perform five sit-ups in an effort to raise awareness about basic civic responsibility, sources said.

Rahee also took similar action against parents who were found loitering around the tehsil complex with their children during school hours. The children, according to the officer, were missing school without any legitimate reason. As a disciplinary measure aimed at public awareness, the parents were reportedly asked to perform sit-ups. “I wanted to make them realise the harm they were causing to their children’s education by allowing or encouraging such absenteeism,” he explained.

Later that day, Rahee approached a group of lawyers who were protesting on the tehsil campus, citing concerns about administrative neglect. They pointed to the unclean surroundings, stray animals, and persistent waterlogging, and questioned whether action would be taken against the responsible officials.

In a move that sparked both astonishment and debate, Rahee responded by performing sit-ups while holding his ears in front of the protesting lawyers. Though they urged him to stop, he completed the act. Speaking on Wednesday, Rahee clarified: “I took responsibility for the shortcomings of the tehsil and its staff. As a symbolic gesture of accountability, I performed sit-ups in front of lawyers and members of the public.”

Rahee hails from Aligarh and has a long history of anti-corruption efforts. During his time in Muzaffarnagar, he launched a probe into the allocation of government funds after a preliminary investigation revealed anomalies in the disbursement of funds under several schemes, including student scholarships, pensions, and marriage grants.

On March 26, 2009, while playing badminton, Rahee was attacked by a group of assailants who shot him six times. Despite sustaining grave injuries, he survived. The Muzaffarnagar police later registered a case and arrested several individuals. In February 2021, a local court sentenced four people, including a then-accountant from the Social Welfare Department, to 10 years’ imprisonment. Four other accused were acquitted due to lack of evidence.

At the time of the verdict, Rahee was serving as the head of a government-run IAS and PCS coaching centre in Hapur.

In 2012, he staged a sit-in protest in Lucknow demanding information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act regarding unused social welfare funds from 2008–09 in Muzaffarnagar. He alleged that although Rs 60–70 crore had been allocated, much of the sum remained unaccounted for. “I had asked for details of the unspent amount and the beneficiaries, but received incomplete information,” Rahee had said at the time, prompting him to file an appeal.