LUCKNOW, Oct. 13 -- With Diwali round the corner, principal secretary (state tax) M Devraj has warned department officials against demanding gifts from traders or taxpayers, terming it a clear violation of conduct rules. In a message posted on the department's WhatsApp group, Devraj said he had received complaints that some officers were demanding gifts and cautioned that such behaviour would invite strict action. "Receiving complaints that some officers are demanding Deepawali gifts. This is strictly prohibited and is in violation of conduct rules. Such behaviour would invite action accordingly," his message read. The principal secretary also directed all offices to prominently display a notice at the headquarters, zonal offices, and other field units, and to send photographic proof of compliance. "Please display the notice prominently in headquarters, zonal offices, and other offices and send a photo of that," read the message, which has become a hot topic within the department. Devraj, regarded as one of the state's most upright IAS officers, has earned a reputation for taking swift and uncompromising action against corruption or ethical lapses within his departments. "Everybody is taking the message quite seriously, and compliance has begun," a senior state tax officer said, admitting that some officials do demand or accept expensive gifts from dealers during festivals, especially Diwali. Simultaneously, Devraj has also directed officials to act strictly against organised tax evaders without harassing small-time dealers in the name of checks and raids. "We have been asked to avoid SIB raids during Diwali unless there is strong intelligence input on tax evasion. There are also strict instructions to avoid property attachment of tax defaulters and to ensure that claims under the trader accident insurance scheme are disposed of quickly," another official revealed. He noted that the attachment of property was often used by officials as a tool to extort money from defaulting traders. Earlier this week, chief minister Yogi Adityanath had also asked the state tax department to avoid raids against traders during the festival of Diwali....