'Haven't violated rules, would fight in court': IAS officer who checked PM's chopper

Mumbai: Mohammed Mohsin, the IAS officer who was suspended by the Election Commission on April 16 for checking the chopper of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said he had not violated any rules and was unaware of the charges against him.

“I acted strictly as per the letter and spirit of the ECI guidelines. I have not violated any rules and I have not done anything wrong in this matter. This is why I asked for a copy of the report against me, but they have so far not shared this. I am fighting this case in the dark,” he said.

Mohsin said he was not at the spot when the incident happened and was not aware of what happened at the helipad. He had only read media reports, which he can neither confirm nor deny.

Describing the events of the day, Mohsin said he had visited the helipad where the chopper of the Prime Minister was parked.

“The observer’s duty is to see that video teams are utilised in a proper manner. So, I advised them and left the place. I went to the venue of the function and sat there for five minutes in the police control room. By then the collector had joined me… Later, while sitting in the DC’s office, I got a call from the Deputy Chief Election Commissioner asking if I had ordered for frisking to be carried out, which I denied. He wanted a report and I replied. All of a sudden around 11.30 pm they suspended me,” he added.

Mohsin said he would fight in the court of law. "I am a career bureaucrat with 22 years of service. I don't belong to any party. I go by rules," he said.

On Thursday, the poll body revoked his suspension but recommended the state government to carry out disciplinary action against him.

Mohsin, an officer of the 1996 Karnataka cadre, was serving as general observer for the Sambalpur Lok Sabha constituency in Odisha, where PM Modi addressed a rally on April 17.