INDORE: A taste of the exotic has turned into an unexpected official headache for a Madhya Pradesh civic officer. After a video purportedly showing Ujjain Municipal Corporation building officer Rajkumar Rathore and his wife sampling crocodile meat during a Thailand holiday went viral, the civic body has aksed his if he obtained the mandatory permisiion to travel abroad.
Rathore, who is posted as the building officer for Zones 1, 2 and 3 of the Ujjain Municipal Corporation, had taken leave from Oct 19 to 23, municipal commissioner Abhilash Mishra said.
However, according to Mishra, Rathore's leave application did not mention that he intended to travel abroad.
The controversy erupted after the video, reportedly shared on the social media account of Rathore's wife, showed him and his wife standing near what appears to be a restaurant or food stall, with what is described in the caption as crocodile meat being served to them.
The clip carries the caption, "Trying crocodile for the first time in Thailand," and also contains visuals of dead crocodiles.
While the crocodile may have been the star of the holiday, it is the officer's foreign travel without the required official permission that has caught the civic body's attention. Rathore is learnt to have travelled abroad without obtaining the mandatory permission.
Govt service rules require officials and employees to obtain permission from the competent authority before undertaking a foreign trip.
Mishra said the matter would be examined and departmental action could be considered if a violation of the rules is established. Attempts to contact Rathore for his response were unsuccessful.