Officer Who Became A Scapegoat?

Not long ago, the state heard Vivek Kumar singing a famous song by Atul Prasad Sen: Hou dhoro mete dhir/ Hou koromete Bir / Hou unnoto shir/ Nahi Bhoi, at a programme organised by IAS officers on their annual Civil Services Day. The gist of the song’s lyrics is an exhortation to hold one’s head high without any fear.

- Romita Datta

Kumar, then principal secretary of Information and Culture, and his singing talent came as a surprise to many. Even chief minister Mamata Banerjee sitting on the front row couldn’t agree more. A few days ago Vivek Kumar, who was principal secretary of the health department till his transfer order came, made an exit with his head held high and was transferred to the Environment Department.

Apparently, the transfer is to make Kumar a scapegoat for all the goof-ups in the health scenario over low testing, suppressing facts about Covid positive patients, and above all the alleged fudging of the death toll. But the real reason was Kumar’s reluctance to be in tune with the West Bengal government and its handling of the pandemic.