New Delhi (19.10.2022): Speaking up their minds in public is a rare phenomenon for bureaucrats, expected to remain faceless, fearless and anonymous in public affairs, but two senior women IAS officers have dared to call spade a spade by not only questioning political decisions but also their own fraternity in Bilkis Bano and raids by UP police in Uttarakhand matters.

When there is a race to prove being more loyal than the king, these officers have shown the spine. Smita Sabharwal (IAS:2001:TG) belongs to opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi-ruled Telangana while Radha Raturi (IAS:1988:UK) is from Uttarakhand ruled by the same party as of her own state. It certainly needs courage and conviction. BRS is going all out against the Gujarat government's decision to release 11 convicts in the gangrape of Bilkis Bano and murder of her family, Sabharwal, who is Secretary in the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), found fault with the decision when she tweeted on August 18: "As a woman and a civil servant, I sit in disbelief, reading the news on the #BilkisBanoCase. We cannot snuff out her Right to breathe free without fear, again and call ourselves a free nation."

She is secretary to Telangana CM KCR who is projecting himself as a tough opponent to New Delhi dispensation and posing a challenge for 2024 LS Polls. KCR dispensation has consistently been raising the case on social media platforms. Sabharwal questioned by tweeting yet again on October 18, 2022: “If only the steel frame had shown some spine! Appears that the NOC given without giving #BilkisBano even a notice of hearing by s no’s 4,5,6 sealed this crime of compliance.” In bureaucratic and political circles her stand is seen as KCR establishment’s voice countering his political rival at the Centre.

But for Uttarakhand ACS Home Radha Raturi, no such mud-slinging is possible as while jointly addressing the press conference with state DGP Ashok Kumar, she targeted the administrative affairs in Uttar Pradesh where, in some cases, even innocents are picked by the police on apprehensions of crime etc. It is being seen as a target aimed at Yogi Adityanath’s BJP dispensation. This too was seen similar to that of Telangana albeit in a different way. Whose viewpoint Raturi represented is not a puzzle. Raturi said crimes should be investigated properly and the guilty should be punished, not the innocent. “Many times, the Uttar Pradesh Police catch innocent persons and claim they are guilty. It should not be like that. Catching one innocent person may lead to the rise of 99 more wrongdoers," she articulated.

Both these women officers showed courage of speaking their mind or their masters? Either way Mrs Sabharwal and Mrs Raturi questioned the integrity of their own fraternity which made a buzz across power corridors.

This must be clarified that an IAS officers can point out bad decisions of the government and they are only restricted from making statements which cause law and order problems or create enmity between different communities or religions. But the important thing is that both the officers stood their ground.