'Prima facie guilty': As Bareilly city magistrate Alankar Agnihotri resigns, UP govt suspends him, orders probe

BAREILLY: The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday suspended Bareilly city magistrate Alankar Agnihotri and ordered a departmental inquiry against him, after he resigned from service amid strong criticism of government policies and allegations of administrative pressureAccording to an official order issued by the state government on January 26, Agnihotri has been found prima facie guilty based on a report submitted by the district magistrate of Bareilly.

Acting under Rule 4 and Rule 7 of the Uttar Pradesh government servants (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1999, the government placed him under immediate suspension and appointed the commissioner, Bareilly division, as the inquiry officer to conduct a detailed probe into the charges.The suspension order came hours after Agnihotri, a 2019-batch PCS officer, sent his resignation to Governor Anandiben Patel and Bareilly district magistrate Avinash Singh, citing what he described as deep ideological differences with government policies and erosion of constitutional values.‘Anti-Brahmin campaign going on’: AgnihotriAgnihotri alleged that an “anti-Brahmin campaign” was underway in Uttar Pradesh and claimed that members of the community were being selectively targeted.“An anti-Brahmin campaign has been going on in the Uttar Pradesh government for quite some time. Brahmins are being singled out and tortured,” he said, citing recent incidents, including alleged assaults on Brahmins and the controversy surrounding Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math, Swami Avimukteshwarananda Saraswati, during the Magh Mela on Mauni Amavasya.

Agnihotri alleged that the Shankaracharya’s disciples and elderly monks were beaten by security personnel. “When the administration beats like this, what message do you want to send to people? Do you want a massacre of Brahmins?” he asked.He also targeted the UGC’s Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations, 2026, notified on January 13, calling them a “black law” and claiming they would lead to harassment of general category students through false complaints.“The biggest reason for this situation is that MPs and MLAs of our society have become silent spectators,” Agnihotri said, urging public representatives from the Brahmin community to resign in protest. He said he had formally written to the Governor and submitted his resignation via email to the state Chief Secretary and the District Magistrate.Allegations of being held hostageAgnihotri alleged that after submitting his resignation, he went to meet district magistrate Avinash Singh at his residence, where he was “held hostage for 45 minutes,” verbally abused and asked to be confined overnight.Refuting the allegations, DM Avinash Singh said Agnihotri was neither detained nor mistreated and that senior officers, including ADMs, SDMs, police officers and intelligence officials, were present during the meeting. Singh dismissed the claims as baseless and declined to comment further on the resignation.Political reactionsReacting to the developments, BJP MP Dinesh Sharma distanced himself from the controversy, saying, “I neither know him nor have I heard about him.

There are many people who start smelling of politics, and then they start looking for reasons.”Opposition leaders, however, termed the episode serious. Congress state president Ajay Rai said the resignation and suspension raised concerns about administrative pressure and freedom of expression under the BJP government. Senior Samajwadi Party leader Praveen Singh Aron said the issue was not about caste but about the dignity of officers and constitutional governance.Agnihotri, a resident of Kanpur Nagar, has earlier served as SDM in Unnao, Balrampur and Lucknow. An alumnus of Banaras Hindu University, he holds degrees in B.Tech and LLB and has also worked in the United States. Known for his strict working style, his resignation on Republic Day and the subsequent suspension have triggered political reactions and protests by Brahmin leaders in Bareilly.The state government has said disciplinary proceedings will continue independently of his resignation, and a charge-sheet will be issued as per rules after the inquiry.