Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Rawat is known for his cool demeanour, but he lost his temper at a public function in Dehradun on Thursday, shocking everyone present. A video of Rawat exchanging hot words with a government teacher at the Janata Milan programme went viral, forcing the CM to issue a statement on the incident.

The incident took place at the CM’s residence during the Janata Milan programme. Uttara Pant Bahuguna, a primary school teacher, serving in remote Naugoan in Uttarkashi made a request to the Chief Minister to transfer her from the hills to plains as she has served 25 long years in the remote location. She told Rawat that she is a widow and has children to look after.

The teacher was aggressive in her approach and this provoked the Chief Minister to say, “You are a teacher and should remain polite.” The interaction turned hot with Trivendra Rawat announcing her suspension and asking the security staff to arrest her and take her outside.

The incident made the public function lose its sheen. However, Rawat met common people at the Janata Milan Hall and listened to their problems and complaints. He directed the concerned officers to resolve them. More than 100 cases were registered during the Jan Sunwai programme. They were related to the departments of PWD, irrigation, transport, rural development, health, revenue, power, Municipal Corporation, police, etc.

On the issue of transfers from remote areas to the plains, the CM said transfer-related requests should not be brought during the hearing of public problems. With the implementation of the Transfer Act in the state, all transfers of government services will be done according to the criteria, he added.

A press release issued by the State Information and Public Relations Department to media via email stated, “During the programme, a primary teacher of Uttarkashi, who has come with transfer request showed disrespect and used abusive language. Even after requesting the teacher to convey her issue in a polite manner, the teacher continued with her indecency, following which orders to suspend the teacher were issued.”

The CM said the state government is keen to address the genuine grievances of the people. In order to ensure that the problems of the people are addressed at their village, block and district level, grievance redressal camps at the level of District Magistrate and Deputy District Magistrate are organised regularly.

The video of the argument between the CM and the government teacher took social media by storm. Opposition leaders shared it on different platforms to create an embarrassing situation for the BJP. The CM office began the damage control immediately after the incident.