Officials' absence irks UP minister Azam Khan

Finding two top officials missing from a departmental meeting, a fuming Uttar Pradesh minister ticked off an officer asking him to shut up and calling him ill-mannered.

Urban Development Minister Mohd Azam Khan, who had fixed a three-day meeting between August 27 to 29 of the departmental officials from across the state, walked out of the venue when he found principal secretary Praveer Kumar and secretary Sunita Chaturvedi missing on Monday.

When the special secretary Visnhu Swaroop Mishra attempted to explain, Azam snubbed him.

"Is the chief secretary above the government...shut up...you ill-mannered," he said. His outburst was caught on camera.

Azam later said that he was informed that the secretary was not present and was attending another meeting called by the chief secretary.

"This meeting was fixed long back...it is obvious that without them opening the meeting I cannot start...officers were called from all over the state," he said, adding indiscipline won't be tolerated.