Patna, May 5: The message from the district magistrate (DM) is clear: keep your children at home when you visit his janata darbar. Only adults are allowed.

Patna district magistrate Sanjay Kumar Singh today ticked off Bhoothnath Road resident Murari Mohan Singh, who came to the darbar with his son, a Class VII student. Murari’s plea: he wanted the district magistrate’s help to get his son admitted to a different school.

The officer, however, was not impressed. He said: “Why have you come with your child? Was it necessary to bring him along? Do you know what impression this will have on your child?

“If you think I will be sympathetic towards your case just because you have your child with you, you are wrong,” Sanjay Singh said.

He added: “This sends a wrong signal to your child. You must not do this in the future. This has really upset me.”

The officer then offered advice to Murari. “Your child is of the age when he should be playing or studying, not visiting the office of the district magistrate,” Sanjay Singh said.

He said the same attention would be paid to Murari’s application even if he came unaccompanied by his son.

“I would have been as serious in dealing with your problem if you had come alone. Similarly, I will not change my decision or have sympathy for you just because your son is holding your hand,” said Sanjay Singh.

If the hapless applicant had started breathing easy after the first round of reprimand, he had another thing coming. The district magistrate started ticking him off him again because Murari’s wife had written his application.

“Don’t you know how to write an application?” asked the DM.

The volley of unpleasant questions continued: “Why has your wife written this application? Isn’t it obvious that since you have come to the darbar, you must write the application?”

Murari had no reply and stood with his head bowed. But that did not placate the furious officer.

“Do you think such things will change my attitude in responding towards your grievances? If that’s what you think, think again,” thundered Sanjay Singh.

The abashed applicant was so embarrassed that he did not utter a single word. He just submitted his application and made his exit.

Sanjay Singh told The Telegraph: “I don’t understand why people think that the official will be sympathetic after seeing the child. I told him all this because I believe that janata darbar is not just about solving problems but also about counselling and educating the applicants. They should be made to feel like responsible citizens of society.”

He added: “Bringing a child to the office of the district magistrate is not correct. I do not appreciate the practice of one person writing the application on behalf of another. There is no gender discrimination is my darbar, so why should a wife write on behalf of her husband?”

The DM’s message did find its target.

Sameer Mohan Sinha, another applicant, said: “Now, I think I made a mistake by bringing my child to the darbar. I thought he would be a sympathetic on seeing my child. Now I see that’s not the case.”