In a case of alleged high-handedness, the Vaishali District Magistrate in Bihar has been accused of using abusive and offensive language toward Circle Officers and revenue staffers. The allegations come at a time when a comprehensive land survey is underway in Bihar
Officials across the state, including Circle Officers, revenue staffers, and clerical teams, are having to implement new directives from the department on a daily basis. Additionally, they are allegedly having to deal with the abuses of District Magistrate (DM) Yashpal Meena.
This treatment has led revenue employees across all blocks in the district to protest against the DM, threatening to go on mass leave if he didn't mend his ways. The Bihar Revenue Service Association has submitted a formal letter on behalf of the Circle Officers, revenue employees, and other staff members, detailing their grievances against DM Yashpal Meena. They have requested that he moderate his behaviour and language, warning that failure to do so may force them into taking mass leave.
The letter mentions that at a revenue and land reform meeting on October 25, the DM used derogatory and inappropriate language toward the Circle Officers and other employees, reportedly calling them "incompetent" and using phrases like "typical Biharis" in a demeaning manner. This, they felt, was an affront to their self-respect. The letter further highlights that, despite their workload, which includes tasks like land survey duties, water body conservation, prevention of illegal mining, land allocation for government projects, handling of Right to Information requests, grievance redressals, and public meetings, the district’s performance ranking remains commendable.
The letter also claims that constant meetings and the DM’s abusive behaviour are taking their mental and physical toll on the employees. These meetings, often following two to three hours of video conferencing, are regularly conducted at the district headquarters. Women officials have particularly raised concerns about being required to attend these meetings late at night without valid reasons — a practice deemed inappropriate and disruptive to the routine functioning of revenue and land reform work — which could affect their efficiency and the district’s ranking.
The letter further points out that DM Meena’s behaviour in the Nawada district had similarly led to local officials and block development officers requesting transfers and mass leaves. The officials said that they felt demeaned by the DM’s conduct, which they described as reminiscent of a "colonial mindset" that regards officials as supreme rulers and employees as subordinates.