Bhopal, Nov 27 : The Madhya Pradesh government has issued a strongly worded show-cause notice to senior IAS officer Santosh Verma for his controversial public statements questioning the continuation of caste-based reservations, terming them "detrimental to social harmony" and a blatant breach of civil service conduct rules.

The notice, issued late Tuesday night, from the General Administration Department (GAD) directs the officer, currently posted as Deputy Secretary in the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department, to submit a written explanation within seven days, warning that failure to reply will invite unilateral departmental action without further intimation.

The storm erupted last Sunday, November 22, when Verma, speaking at a literary event in Bhopal, reportedly described reservations as having "served their original purpose" and now being "exploited as a permanent political tool".

In the notice, his controversial statement was reproduced in Hindi (loosely translated): "Reservation benefits should be limited to only one member per family, unless a Brahmin is willing to give his daughter in marriage to my son or establish a relationship with him."

Video footage of the speech spread rapidly on social media, provoking immediate backlash from Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and OBC organisations, as well as an unexpected wave of protests from Brahmin groups who accused the officer of "insulting constitutional guarantees".

By Monday morning, demonstrators from various social outfits had gathered outside the Vallabh Bhawan -- state secretariat, burning effigies and demanding an FIR under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act alongside Verma's immediate suspension. Placards reading "Bureaucrats cannot rewrite the Constitution" and "Protect Babasaheb's legacy" dominated the protests.

In a major disciplinary action, the Madhya Pradesh government on Wednesday suspended senior IAS officer Santosh Verma (batch 2011) with immediate effect for his highly controversial remarks on caste-based reservation made during the public event.

The showcause notice, issued late Wednesday night by the General Administration Department and signed by Deputy Secretary Pradeep Kumar Sharma, states that Verma's statement, "One person in a family should get reservation, unless a Brahmin donates his daughter to my son or the daughter establish a relation with him," prima facie violates multiple provisions of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968, and the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969.

"Making a public statement that has the effect of adversely affecting social harmony and promoting caste-based animosity and other discipline Rules by engaging in conduct attracting disciplinary action," he said.

"No civil servant, irrespective of rank, can publicly criticise constitutionally mandated policies in a manner that hurts social fabric," a senior Mantralaya source said.

/IANS