Mathura authorities reinstate sanitation worker sacked over PM portrait row

The authorities here reinstated a sanitation worker on Tuesday, days after he was sacked when portraits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were found in his garbage cart.

The decision to terminate his services faced severe criticism on social media.

Following this, Municipal Commissioner, Mathura-Vrindavan Nagar Nigam, Anunaya Jha said that after taking note of demands raised by the worker and his family, he was taken back on duty with a warning.

The matter came to light on Saturday after videos circulated on social media showed contractual sanitation worker Bobby, posted in the Generalganj area, carrying framed portraits of Modi and Adityanath in his wheelbarrow.

Earlier, Additional Municipal Commissioner, Mathura-Vrindavan Nagar Nigam, Satyendra Kumar Tiwari had said Bobby was found lax in his work and his services were terminated.

The contractual worker had, however, maintained that he was only doing his job and that it was not his fault that the portraits were found in the garbage.

The videos showed some people accosting Bobby as he was going about his business, and asking him about the portraits in the barrow with garbage.

The worker said he found the portraits on a street and was just doing his job.

The people then took out the two portraits from the garbage -- a third one was nearly destroyed -- as others recorded the act on mobile phones.

One of them washed the portraits and took those with him, another video that surfaced on social media showed.