Noida Aug 30 : A picture of an IAS officer from Uttar Pradesh purportedly selling vegetables at a roadside stall has gone viral and is being widely circulated across social media platforms.
The photo is of IAS officer Akhilesh Mishra who is currently posted as the special secretary in the UP transport department. Soon after the picture went viral, Mishra issued a clarification putting an end to all whispers across the web. The photo reportedly went viral after it was posted on Mishra’s Facebook account.
In the picture, Mishra can be seen seated on what looks like a sack at the vegetable stall. The stall seems to be located in a busy market as other vegetable sellers and customers can also be seen standing near the stall. As soon as the photograph went viral, netizens started jumping to conclusions. One claimed that Mishra was given a side posting that made him sell vegetables instead while others insisted that he was doing this to embarrass the state government.
Issuing a clarification about the viral photo, Mishra said, “I was on a visit to Prayagraj for some official work and on my way back, I stopped to buy vegetables. In the meantime, the vegetable vendor, an old lady, requested me to look after her shop saying she would be back in a moment as her child had strolled away.”
The officer further added, “Just as I sat down at her shop, a customer and the seller came. One of my friends took the photo and put it on my Facebook account from my phone.”