ENCOUNTER WITH ANIL SWARUP

Former IAS officer and author talks about his incredible journey

- Subhajit Roy

A nil Swarup is a distinguished retired IAS officer turned celebrated author. He was "Not just a Civil Servant", Mr. Swarup has often grappled with the “Ethical Dilemmas of a Civil Servant". His "Encounters with Politicians" have been numerous and revealing. He believes "Nexus of ― Good" a coalition of ethical individuals who, together, can drive meaningful change in society. Read here: Throughout your distinguished career, you've taken on various roles and responsibilities. Could you highlight three top encounters with politicians? My first memorable encounter was during my first posting as a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) in Hardoi, where I invoked the National Security Act (NSA) against a powerful local MLA.

Eventually, MLA managed to transfer me.

The second was when I was the District Magistrate in Lakhimpur Kheri.

I had to arrest the District President of the ruling party because he insisted on holding a funeral procession that could have led to communal riots. Despite this, the Chief Minister later rewarded me as one of the best collectors, even though the person I jailed belonged to his party.

The third memorable moment was the time I spent with Kalyan Singh, an outstanding politician.

You were known as the go-to person in many ministries and took over the assignment as Coal Secretary soon after the Coalgate scam. How challenging was that? It was very challenging-probably the most difficult assignment of my career.