Meerut, 30 July

A video of IAS officer Rinku Singh Rahi doing sit-ups while holding his ears amid a protest in Shahjahanpur’s Puwaiyan tehsil has gone viral, sparking widespread discussion. Appointed recently as SDM, Rahi was inspecting the tehsil premises when he reportedly saw a clerk urinating in the open. Offended, he allegedly reprimanded the clerk and made him do sit-ups, prompting backlash from lawyers already agitating over other issues.

Lawyers pointed out the filthy condition of public toilets, questioning where staff and visitors were expected to go. In a surprising act of accountability, Rahi publicly acknowledged the administration’s failure, performed five sit-ups himself, and pledged never to urinate in the open. “I must follow the rules myself,” he declared, assuring immediate improvements in sanitation facilities.

Rahi’s gesture—whether voluntary or under pressure—won appreciation online. His act echoes his past, a whistleblower in a ₹100-crore scholarship scam in 2009, Rahi was shot seven times and left blind in one eye. Despite physical and mental trauma, he continued his fight against corruption by filing RTI applications. He eventually cleared the UPSC exam in 2022 under the disability quota, securing the 683rd rank at the age of 40.