Fish fry, curry allegedly sought as bribe; Tamil Nadu VAO suspended

CHENNAI: A village administrative officer in Tamil Nadu's Karur district has been suspended after an audio recording in which he allegedly demanded food from a farmer in connection with the processing of documents for his agricultural land went viral on social media.

Karthik, the Village Administrative Officer (VAO) of Devarmalai village in Kadavur taluk, allegedly demanded Rs 15,000 from a farmer, Devarajan of Palayam, for processing documents related to his agricultural land and issuing a chitta, according to reports. During a phone conversation, the officer allegedly asked the farmer to bring two portions of fried fish, fish curry and sliced onions packed from a restaurant near the Palayam bus stand.

The farmer's son, who answered the officer's call, questioned him about asking for food despite receiving a government salary. The conversation was subsequently shared widely on social media. Following the circulation of the audio clip, the Karur district administration ordered an inquiry through the Kadavur tahsildar. Karthik was subsequently suspended pending further proceedings.

The incident has drawn widespread reactions on social media, with the audio clip attracting attention because of the unusual nature of the alleged demand.