UP suspends Bareilly city magistrate, officer claims conspiracy against him

The Uttar Pradesh government has suspended Bareilly City Magistrate Alankar Agnihotri on charges of indiscipline after his resignation in protest against government policies triggered a political and administrative storm.

Agnihotri on Tuesday declined to comment on his suspension by the Uttar Pradesh government, maintaining that he had already tendered his resignation a day before.

He claimed that a conspiracy was hatched against him, and that he overheard a derogatory remark about him while he was at the district magistrate's office on Monday night.

Agnihotri, a 2019-batch Provincial Civil Service officer, has been attached to the office of the Shamli district magistrate with immediate effect, according to an order issued late on Monday night by the state government.

Talking to reporters at his official residence on Tuesday morning, the Bareilly City Magistrate said he has already resigned and therefore has nothing to say on the suspension order.

"As you are aware, I have already submitted my resignation. Whether you suspend me or take any other action after that, I have no comment," he said.

Agnihotri alleged that when he was at District Magistrate Avinash Singh's office on Monday night, he overheard a phone conversation on speaker mode in which a person allegedly told Singh, "The pandit has gone mad, keep him there the whole night."

He claimed that once this information spread, he received calls from various social organisations from across districts, who raised objections to the remark. Agnihotri said he was asked to visit the district magistrate's office and find out who made the call.

"We will go to the district magistrate's office shortly to place our side and ascertain the identity of the caller who made the remark," he told reporters.

When pointed out by reporters that senior officials have denied that such an incident took place at the district magistrate's residence, Agnihotri said, "Now people will obviously deny it. This is a matter of investigation. Get the call traced, constitute a Special Investigation Team and find out whose phone call it was. When I am saying that a call came on the district magistrate's number, those who are part of the system will deny it, as instructed by their seniors. They will say what the district magistrate asks them to say."

Referring to his suspension, Agnihotri said he was accused of indiscipline and a departmental inquiry was ordered, with instructions to attach him to the Shamli district magistrate's office during the probe period.

"There is no question of me going to Shamli as I have already resigned," he said.

When asked if he would not be technically remain in service until his resignation is accepted, Agnihotri said efforts were made to buy time before his resignation so that disciplinary action could be initiated against him.

He said there was an attempt to persuade him to delay his resignation by a day or more, or to go on leave after submitting a written application, which would have provided an opportunity to suspend him first and "change the narrative" but "fortunately, I was present there and heard the conversation myself."

"When that did not succeed, the suspension order was issued late at night," he alleged.

Asked what he would do if his resignation was not accepted, Agnihotri said resignation was a constitutional right.

"You cannot force someone to work. I am no longer part of the system, I have resigned. Now whether they accept it or not is a matter of prestige for them. For this, there is the High Court and the Supreme Court," he said.

On his future course of action, Agnihotri said he has almost vacated his official residence and removed most of his belongings from there.

The action followed Agnihotri’s decision to tender his resignation on Republic Day, citing what he described as a deep ideological disagreement with government policies, particularly the recently notified University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations. He had emailed his resignation to Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and Bareilly District Magistrate Avinash Singh.

In an order issued by special secretary Annapurna Garg from the appointments section, the government said Agnihotri was found prima facie guilty of indiscipline. Departmental proceedings have been initiated against him, and Bareilly divisional commissioner B S Chaudhary has been appointed as the ex-officio inquiry officer.

The order added that a separate charge sheet would be issued as part of the disciplinary action and that Agnihotri would remain attached to the Shamli district magistrate’s office while the inquiry is underway.

In his resignation statement, Agnihotri had sharply criticised the new UGC regulations, calling them a “black law” and alleging that they would vitiate the academic atmosphere and fuel caste-based tensions in universities and colleges. He demanded the immediate withdrawal of the rules.

The regulations, notified on 13 January 2026, aim to curb caste-based discrimination in higher educational institutions. They mandate the creation of special committees, helplines and monitoring mechanisms to address complaints, particularly from students belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.

Agnihotri’s resignation statement went beyond criticism of education policy. In a strongly worded and emotional message, he made allegations against the broader system and attacked the Centre over issues including what he described as the humiliation of the Brahmin community and an incident linked to the Prayagraj Magh Mela.

He also urged elected representatives from the Brahmin community at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh to resign from their posts in solidarity, claiming that members of the general category were becoming increasingly alienated from both governments.

The suspension has drawn sharp reactions across political and bureaucratic circles, with critics accusing the government of intolerance towards dissent within the civil services, while officials have maintained that service rules require political neutrality and discipline from serving officers.

With PTI inputs