When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Singh Modi visited Bastar on May 9 last week, the IAS officer stationed to receive him was wearing sunglasses. According to local reports, the Indian Prime Minister remarked to the official,””Mr Dabangg Collector, how are you?”
The title of Dabangg was in reference to the Salman Khan movie in which the actor played a brave police official whose trademark bravado and sunglasses were a hit among the Indian audience. However, the government in the Indian state of Chattisgarh served a notice to the officer which read:-
“The act (wearing sunglsses) is in violation of the Section 3 (1) of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968.”
Chattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh further clarified the matter by stating that the notice had been issued so as to make clear the guidelines and policies for AIS officials as regards to duty.
However, many Indians on Twitter seemed to side with the district magistrate. Several of them posted pictures of the prime minister greeting various people, all of them wearing sunglasses, and having no issue with it. One of these photographs is of the Indian prime minister meeting Bollywood actor Salman Khan, who is wearing his trademark sunglasses.
#SalmanKhan can wear sunglasses and stand with #Modi #AmitKataria #sunglass pic.twitter.com/DuYPgOoNfX
— janakiraman (@periyakulam) May 16, 2015
A version of Mr Kataria himself found its way on Twitter, via WhatsApp and is reproduced in part below
