Dehradun: Dehradun District Magistrate Savin Bansal, who is always in the news for his strict decisions, is once again making headlines, but this time not for a decision, but for a complaint. A dispute has arisen between DM Savin Bansal and Ankita Singh, the CEO of the Clement Town Cantonment Board in Dehradun. Notably, both officers have different jurisdictions.
The matter is related to a meeting called by the Dehradun District Magistrate, which Clement Town Cantonment Board CEO Ankita Singh did not attend. Angered by this, DM Bansal sent an RTO team to her house to seize her official vehicle (property of the Ministry of Defence). The CEO, citing mental harassment and encroachment on her jurisdiction, wrote a letter to Chief Minister Dhami and filed a complaint against DM Savin Bansal.
In her complaint letter to the Chief Minister, Ankita Singh, CEO of the Dehradun Clement Town Cantonment Board, wrote:
“How can an administrative officer resort to such dictatorial behavior, sending police and an RTO team to a female officer’s house? This is a case of harassment against a female employee of the Central Government. Neither the country nor the state is under a state of emergency, yet the District Magistrate has used emergency powers (Motor Vehicles Act 1947) to order the seizure of my official vehicle. As far as attending the census meeting is concerned, I had sent my representative.”
She further wrote in the letter that she is providing her services to the Clement Town Cantonment Board, which is an autonomous body under the Central Ministry of Defence, and its jurisdiction is completely separate from that of the District Magistrate. The District Magistrate does not have the authority to seize a vehicle belonging to the Ministry of Defence, which is also a violation of jurisdictional authority. She said that this is also gender discrimination in the workplace, as an attempt is being made to humiliate and belittle a female officer. Throughout the day, media personnel tried to get a statement from the Dehradun District Magistrate (DM) on this entire matter. However, the Dehradun DM did not give any response to anyone, nor did he answer any calls. However, a clarification note was issued from his office late in the evening.
The clarification issued by the DM’s office stated that:
‘In view of the Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, entering the advanced stage of the census process, the District Magistrate has been designated as the Principal Census Officer. The Ministry of Home Affairs expects that the appointment of Census Charge Officers, holding regular meetings with them, delimitation of areas, inter-departmental coordination, preparation of the program outline, and the appointment of subordinate staff should be completed in a timely manner and the Ministry should be informed promptly.
In this regard, a joint meeting of the Director of Census (Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India) and the Dehradun District Administration was convened on January 28, 2026. Despite being duly informed in writing and through telephone calls, the Chief Executive Officer, Cantonment Board Garhi, and the Chief Executive Officer, Cantonment Council Clement Town, did not attend the meeting. The Director of Census expressed strong displeasure over this.
Subsequently, another meeting was held on January 31, 2026, for which information had already been given on January 28, 2026. The Additional District Magistrate (Finance and Revenue) also personally contacted the Chief Executive Officers of both Cantonment Councils by telephone, explaining the importance of the meeting and requesting their participation. Despite this, both officers were again absent from the meeting.
Due to the absence of the officers, the delimitation of the concerned cantonment areas could not be completed, and the preliminary actions related to the census could not be initiated. Taking this negligence seriously, the Director of Census (Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India) has recommended to the Dehradun District Administration that action be taken against the concerned officers under the Census Act, 1948.’ The Dehradun district administration and the Director of Census are jointly initiating legal action under Sections 6, 7, and 11 of the Census Act, 1948, which provides for imprisonment of up to one month.
Meanwhile, it is noteworthy that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to visit Uttarakhand in the coming days. This matter may be brought to his attention during his visit, and a complaint may also be lodged with him.
Previously involved in controversies: This is not the first time the Dehradun District Magistrate has been in the news. Earlier, during Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s visit, the Dehradun DM was accused of breach of privilege because the DM did not answer calls from the Lok Sabha Speaker’s staff, and the Speaker did not receive the proper protocol. In addition, the incident of the DM not answering Minister Ganesh Joshi’s phone calls during a disaster in Dehradun also generated considerable controversy.
