Why I hope Ashok Khemka doesn't turn out to be another Gautam Goswami

The moment Ashok Khemka tweeted his displeasure over being transferred for the 46th time in 22 years of his civil service career, #Khemka started trending on Twitter. People from all walks of life began to show solidarity with the disgruntled officer who has been made to suffer in a system where politicians play the master and an honest and upright officer, who makes his superiors uncomfortable, is made to lose.

The belligerent IAS officer was made a hero on social media after he exposed some murky land deals between Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra and real estate giant DLF two years ago. That exposé led to a volley of other revelations and media scrutiny against the man, who, by virtue of being Priyanka Gandhi's husband, was exempted from security checks at airports during the UPA rule. The high and mighty truly he was, Robert Vadra.

Now the Congress is down and out, in oblivion, both at the Centre as well as in Haryana. While the BJP is now in power, Khemka continues to suffer just as he did a few months back. The BJP had capitalised on Khemka's exposé during elections by upping the ante against the Gandhi family. But the charges that were slapped against him haven't been dropped yet.

While it is obvious that Khemka was being victimised by the Congress for going after Vadra, it is truly painful that the change in government hasn't made the upright officer's life any better.

Like many, I feel bad for him. Khemka's heroic deeds take me back to the early 2000s when we celebrated an Indian winning the Time magazine's Asian Hero Award. The winner was late Patna district magistrate Gautam Goswami, lauded for his exceptional public services and great flood relief work during one of the worst floods of the time.

Like Khemka, Goswami had become a symbol of honesty and probity. The young and charming IAS officer shot to fame for stopping the then deputy prime minister LK Advani from canvassing beyond the time limit issued by the Election Commission of India during the 2004 General Elections. Advani had to stop midway and leave the dais at a poll meeting.

Goswami was a celebrated IAS officer who not only took on the high and mighty, but also did great work for flood relief, saving thousands of lives in the process. His services were recognised, inspiring many to take the prestigious civil services exams. Within a year of being lauded by Time, Goswami was found guilty of diverting funds meant for flood relief during investigation. He fell from grace. He resigned from the IAS and later landed in jail. At the age of 41, Goswami, an MBBS, died of pancreatic cancer in Patna.

While I have no intention of raising questions about Ashok Khemka's honesty and propriety, I must say that an IAS officer always holds an esteemed position. I don't know if there's another side to Khemka's story. For now he is a hero and I hope he remains one. But with 46 transfers in 22 years under his belt, he may need to look within and improve instead of playing victim.