MEERUT, July 30 -- A video purportedly showing IAS officer Rinku Singh Rahi performing sit-ups while holding his ears amid a protest by lawyers in Shahjahanpur went viral on Tuesday, leading to speculations whether it was a voluntary gesture or circumstances forced the officer to do it. The incident reportedly took place during the 2022-batch IAS officer's inspection tour after his recent appointment as sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) of Powayan tehsil. During inspection of tehsil premises, he reportedly spotted a clerk (munshi) urinating in the open. Offended by the act, the officer allegedly reprimanded the clerk and made him do sit-ups, triggering opposition from lawyers. The episode sparked a backlash from lawyers who were already protesting over other issues. They said the man (clerk) had no choice but to relieve himself in the open due to the deplorable condition of the tehsil's public toilets. Meanwhile, the SDM approached the lawyers and said while protests and demonstrations were allowed, the sound from loudspeakers should not reach the office. During this interaction, the lawyers raised the issue of the clerk being made to do sit-ups and questioned: "If the toilets are in such a filthy condition, where are the lawyers and clerks supposed to go?" As tensions rose, SDM Rahi acknowledged the fault of the administration and took an extraordinary step. In front of the protesting lawyers and staff, he held his ears and performed five sit-ups, declaring: "I, too, will not urinate in the open. I must follow the rules myself." He admitted that the poor state of sanitation in the tehsil was a failure on his part as an administrator. Despite attempts by the lawyers to stop him, Rahi went ahead with the 'self-imposed punishment'. He assured the gathering that immediate steps would be taken to clean and repair the toilets, and pledged to improve overall hygiene on the tehsil premises. There was no official version as efforts to contact the SDM went in vain. Rinku Singh Rahi served as a PCS officer, before becoming IAS in 2022. His journey took a dramatic turn in 2009 when, as district social welfare officer in Muzaffarnagar, he exposed a Rs.100-crore scholarship scam. This led to an attack by local gangsters, who shot him seven times, leaving him with a disfigured face, a damaged jaw and blindness in one eye. Rahi continued his fight against corruption, filing RTI applications. He cleared the UPSC exam in 2022 under the disability quota, securing the 683rd rank at the age of 40....