New Delhi (27.08.2021): A humanitarian gesture has brought Akhilesh Mishra (IAS: 2009: UP) to media glare when his image has gone viral on social media where he is seen selling vegetables by the roadside.  Mishra, special secretary in the state transport department, is seated on what looks like a sack with a variety of vegetables laid out.

Mishra accepted that images are indeed genuine but what people saw was not what was actually happening. He took to Facebook to explain what led to the now-viral photographs. “Yesterday, I visited Prayagraj for some official work. While on my way back, I stopped at a place to take a look at the vegetables.

The vegetable seller, an old lady, requested me to look after her shop, saying she would be back in a moment. Possibly, she had gone to look for her child who had gone away from the shop,” reads the translation of the post shared in Hindi.

Mishra claimed that he just sat down at her shop. Suddenly a customer and the seller came. A friend took the photo and put it on my Facebook account from my phone. It was just an attempt to help the old lady.