Rajasthan bureaucrat suspended after viral petrol pump brawl
Bhilwara (Rajasthan): Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) officer Chhotu Lal Sharma was suspended on Thursday, hours after a video showing him involved in a physical altercation with petrol pump staff in Bhilwara went viral.
The clip captured Sharma slapping an employee who allegedly refused to refuel his vehicle before another customer.
Following the incident, petrol pump workers filed a complaint against Sharma, while a woman accompanying him—identified as Deepika Vyas, who claimed to be his wife—accused the staff of misbehaving with her, saying that provoked the officer’s anger.
Police later arrested three employees, identified as Deepak Mali, Prabhu Lal Kumawat, and Raja Sharma, reported India Today.
The Rajasthan government, citing “administrative reasons,” suspended Sharma with immediate effect under Rule 13 of the Rajasthan Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1958, according to the report.
The order stated that he would remain posted at the Personnel Department in Jaipur during the suspension period.
According to police, the altercation began when Sharma objected to staff refuelling another vehicle before his own.
He allegedly slapped one of the workers, who then retaliated.
The incident triggered outrage on social media, with users demanding strict action against the bureaucrat.
However, the case took a twist when it emerged that Deepika Vyas, who filed a complaint as Sharma’s wife, is not legally married to him.
Sources revealed that Sharma’s lawful spouse, Poonam Sharma, has been living separately with their children after he allegedly forced them out of their home.
Poonam has reportedly filed cases against him and is currently struggling financially.
A chequered past
This is not Sharma’s first controversy. The officer has been removed from his post three times over the years. In 2017, he was transferred after a public spat with a panchayat samiti official during a government outreach campaign.
Later that year, he faced disciplinary action for alleged irregularities linked to Jindal Shah Ltd’s mining operations.
In 2018, while serving as SDM in Tonk, Sharma was accused of assaulting his peon over a bribery dispute, sparking protests that led to his removal.
His repeated run-ins with controversy have once again brought scrutiny to his conduct as a public servant.
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