The government of Uttar Pradesh has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate allegations of promoting religious conversions and anti-Hindu propaganda against senior IAS officer Iftikharuddin, currently serving as as chairman of the UP State Road Transport Corporation in Kanpur.

Recently, a video surfaced on social media in which the officer was heard discussing strategies for spreading Islam around the world and was seen attending a religious meeting in Kanpur. The officer, dressed in white kurta pajamas and a skullcap, was reportedly heard saying that Islam should be spread to every household around the world.

In another clip, Iftikharuddin was seen listening to a speaker’s sweeping preaching. The speaker told the story of a Hindu man from Punjab converting to Islam following the death of his sister while at the funeral the deceased’s naked body was exposed, leaving him embarrassed. The preacher went on to mention that the man had therefore decided to convert to Islam because he did not want his daughter to land in a situation such that corpses are cremated and not burned in Islam. The speaker further explains to the congregation the benefits of converting to Islam.

After the incident was brought to the attention of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the Home Office was tasked on Tuesday to form a three-member SIT to investigate the matter. While DG, CB CID, GL Meena will be the chair of SIT, ADG Kanpur Zone Bhanu Bhaskar will be one of the members.

The Home Office ordered the SIT to submit its report to the government within seven days.

Previously, the national vice chairman of the Math Mandir Coordinating Committee, Bhupesh Awasthi, filed a complaint with the state government against the senior IAS officer and attached the controversial video clips.

Earlier, Kanpur Nagar Police Commissioner Asim Arun had entrusted the investigation to ADCP (East) stationed in Kanpur. Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya also expressed his dissatisfaction with this episode and ordered an investigation.

In Kanpur Nagar, the investigation is being carried out by an additional (eastern) police commissioner and the focus is on establishing the veracity of the video clips, and whether there has been any crime related to the conversion to the official residence of the UPSRT commissioner in Kanpur.

Kanpur Police Commissioner Asim Arun said several viral videos linked to senior IAS official Mohammed Iftikharuddin had come to attention and investigations were underway.

The IAS officer has been in Kanpur for a long time and served as the Kanpur Division Commissioner and Labor Commissioner.