IAS officer apologises on Facebook after his photo goes viral

Jagdish Sonkar's act of resting his foot on a patient's bed during interaction was widely circulated and condemned on social media.

Jagdish Sonkar, IAS officer says sorry, IAS officer posts apology on Facebook, IAS officer apology,

“No amount of words can justify the said act,although it was unintentional and was thoroughly avoidable,” says IAS officer Jagdish Sonkar after this picture of him went viral. (Source: Bharati Chaturvedi/Twitter)

No one’s really safe from the ever-seeing, omnipresent eyes of social media. And as an IAS officer recently found out — and quite rightfully so — etiquette is not something that should be taken for granted.

Recently, the photograph of IAS officer Jagdish Sonkar had gone viral. Sonkar had been snapped interacting with patients at the Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre in Balrampur with his foot resting on the bed. Sonkar had visited the centre for a routine inspection and was interacting with mothers of malnourished children. The photo was soon picked up by social media and there was an immediate flurry of chastising comments on the IAS offer’s ‘disrespectful behaviour’. Such was the onslaught that Sonkar has now posted an apology on his Facebook account.

Dear Jagdish Sonkar, IAS 2013 batch, SDM somewhere in Chattisgarh : Be respectful. And don’t repeat this again. pic.twitter.com/3d11qVQiiB

— Bharati Chaturvedi (@Bharati09) 4 May 2016

Sonkar’s act was considered disgraceful. It even prompted Chattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh to instruct the General Administration Department to train all new officers in social behaviour and public interaction before being sent for field duty and inspection. The IAS association even tweeted their disappointment.

The picture of Jagdish Sonkar SDM in Chattisgarh inspecting CHC is shocking and it’s unacceptable

— IAS Association (@IASassociation) 4 May 2016

In his apology, Jagdish says, “This post is to tender an open unconditional apology in response to the picture of mine that is being circulated in social media and newspapers. No amount of words can justify the said act,although it was unintentional and was thoroughly avoidable.”

Read Sonkar’s full apology here.

He went on to apologise to the civil services fraternity for harming their image. He added, “I thank those who had reserved their opinions and judgements, and have not concluded on me based upon the picture alone.”

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He assured in the letter that he would stick to the core values of the civil services — Honesty, Integrity, Objectivity, Impartiality and Civility, Modesty, Humility and Chivalry.

The response to Sonkar’s letter has been overwhelmingly supportive. One Facebook user posted, “Dear Jagdish Sonkar ji… this apology of yours might be due to the code of conduct for any civil servant. Its good indeed. And i am sure u mean it for the sake of humanity in society. Anyway…your work speaks the truth. Good Luck..keep moving.”

Another echoed the sentiment, “You have done the right thing to tender an apology here. You rose above yourself to address the larger issue of image of civil services. A true public servant u are. We trust u and wud like to see you do wonders. You need not explain for you, your actions will. No amount of criticism should let u down…all the best.”

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