A controversy has erupted at the Jamui Irrigation Division office in Bihar after a video showing an office attendant clearing grass on the premises went viral on social media. The employee, Gajendra Kumar Chaubey, has accused Executive Engineer Gautam Kumar of discrimination and said that he was being forced to do work outside his assigned duties.
गजेंद्र कुमार चौबे सिंचाई विभाग के सरकारी दफ्तर में नियुक्त हैं, जिनका काम फाइलों को इधर से उधर ले जाना होता है। लेकिन वहाँ एक वैज्ञानिक समुदाय के Executive Engineer नियुक्त हैं, जिनका नाम गौतम कुमार है। इनसे वे सारे काम करवाए जाते हैं, जो इनकी ड्यूटी में भी नहीं हैं, क्योंकि ये… pic.twitter.com/DhW5n6ijAm
— 𝙼𝚛 𝚃𝚢𝚊𝚐𝚒 (@mktyaggi) August 8, 2026
The nearly two-minute video shows Chaubey clearing grass inside the office compound. While doing the work, he introduces himself as Gajendra Kumar Chaubey and says that he is posted as an attendant at the Irrigation Division office. He is heard saying that he was asked by the “boss” to clear all the grass on the premises.
‘I am doing this because of my children’
In the video, another person asks Chaubey why he is clearing grass, since it is not part of an attendant’s regular duties. Chaubey replies that he is doing it because he has children to support and fears losing his job.
“I am doing this because of my children,” he says, adding that he had been threatened with stoppage of his salary or removal from service if he refused to follow the instructions.
Chaubey also claims in the video that he was being singled out because he belongs to the Brahmin community. According to him, seven attendants are currently working at the office, but he is the only one being asked to do such work.
He also names another attendant, Dinesh Kumar, claiming that he only marks his attendance and leaves the office.
The person recording the video tells Chaubey that it was being made at his request and would be sent to senior officials so that the matter could be investigated.
Executive Engineer rejects allegations
Meanwhile, Executive Engineer Gautam Kumar has rejected Chaubey’s allegations. He said the claims made in the viral video are incorrect.
Kumar claimed he had been posted in Jamui for around one-and-a-half years. Explaining the duties assigned to attendants, he said they are involved in work related to irrigation and revenue collection.
“There are 32 sanctioned posts for peons, but only seven attendants are currently working,” Kumar said. He added that most of the attendants are sent out for collection-related work, while Chaubey has been kept at the office because of his health condition.
According to Kumar, there is currently no major file-related work available at the office that can be assigned to Chaubey.
Engineer alleges employee was misled into making video
The Executive Engineer also alleged that Chaubey was misled into making the video. He claimed that Divisional Accounts Officer Karunanidhi Saurabh had influenced Chaubey and arranged for the video to be recorded.
Kumar further alleged that attempts had been made for the past two months to create a situation that would allow Chaubey to stay in Patna.
He also made the serious allegation that Chaubey was given alcohol before the video was recorded. Kumar denied the caste discrimination allegations and said that such behaviour had no place in government service.
“In a democratic system, no one can run a government job by bringing caste into everything. All the allegations made against us are false,” he said.
FIR threat leads to cyber complaint
Chaubey, meanwhile, said he did not know that he was being recorded while clearing the grass. After the video surfaced, the Executive Engineer reportedly said he would file an FIR against him.
Following this, Chaubey is reported to have approached the cyber police station and filed a complaint.
The incident has now led to competing allegations from the employee and the department. While Chaubey has alleged discrimination and pressure to perform work outside his duties, the Executive Engineer has rejected the charges and accused others of misleading the employee.
