DM Praveen Kumar Laxkar: Know More About The Officer Facing Allegations In Hathras Rape Case

Hathras: Hathras Deputy Magistrate and Collectorate Praveen Kumar Laxkar is currently in the headlines for a recent Hathras gang-rape case and its handling by the police.

Who is Praveen Kumar Laxkar?

Praveen Kumar Laxkar, an IAS officer, is the District Magistrate and Collectorate of Hathras district.

According to an official website of Uttar Pradesh government, Laxkar was appointed to IAS on 3 September 2012. His educational qualifications include M.A. in History and B.E.D. M.A. in Hindi.

The officer belongs from Rajasthan’s Jaipur and began his district training in Raebareli from 18 April 2013 which went on till 6 August 2014.

He was posted in Aligarh as the Joint Magistrate on 7 August 2014 and continued till 20 April 2016.

He then served as Chief Development Officer in Lalitpur from 21 April 2016 till 17 April 2018.

After that, he was brought to Lucknow as Special Secretary in Panchayati Raj Department on 17 April 2018 and was there till 2 March 2019. His current posting at Hathras began on 2 March 2019.

Why is he in controversy?

Laxkar has been in the news lately because of a gang-rape case reported in the Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district.

The matter worsened after the victim’s family’s allegations and reports of how the woman’s mortal remains were cremated without the family’s consent. Videos and photos of the same had gone viral.

What fuelled curiosity over the matter further, was the way Congress party workers were stopped along with former party president Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is also general secretary of the All India Congress Committee in charge of Eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Another video of the officer got widely spread where he seems to be issuing a veiled threat to the victim’s family.

He was heard saying “Don’t hurt your own credibility. The media people will go away in a few days. But we are here with you. Now it is up to you, whether you want to keep changing your statements or not”.

Though, the officer, later issued a clarification statement saying that he was there to listen to the grievances of the victim’s family as it was his duty and denied the negative reports.

In another update, the media persons were forcefully barred from meeting the family members of the victim and after a relentless protest for justice, the family’s voice has reached the people directly.

The family members have now levelled serious allegations against the DM which includes – not showing them the girl’s face before cremating her in a hurry, not letting them speak to the media, confiscating their mobile phones, and tapping their calls.

They have also alleged that Laxkar told them they would not have received Rs 25 lakh compensation if their daughter had died of Covid-19 and wanted them to shut up since they are getting the amount.