Puja Singhal (left) joins the fun at the function. A Telegraph picture

Hazaribagh, Feb. 7: The unruly scenes witnessed on the last day of Hazaribagh Mahotsava are being increasingly attributed to a lady?s passion for dancing.

Puja Singhal, an IAS officer currently posted as the administrator of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi, apparently took the audience by surprise by dancing to music blaring from the stage.

She was obviously having a good time, shaking her arms through the evening. But when singers of Indian Idol fame came on stage and started performing, recalled eyewitnesses, Singhal jumped up, moved close to the stage and began shaking her legs as well. She inspired several other ladies to join her.

While it would not have attracted any attention in metropolitan cities, in Hazaribagh it probably came as a culture shock. Eyes of policemen on duty popped out as they stood agape, watching, while there was a minor stampede among the audience with several people trying to stand on chairs to take a better look.

There were cat calls and a lot of shouting by younger elements, some of whom are accused of misbehaving with other women, making lewd gestures at them, inviting them also to dance.

Policemen remained mute spectators as they did not have a clue whether to stop the boisterous crowd or allow them to shake their legs as well. A few chairs were damaged before Singhal?s husband, Rahul Purwar, who happens to be the deputy commissioner here, pleaded with her to return to the seat.

Singhal, hailing from Meerut, has served here as the SDO (Sadar). Known to be outspoken, acerbic and tough, members of the subordinate civil service have often complained of her abrasive behaviour. Proximity of the couple to a senior RSS functionary, they claim, is the reason why they have got away by humiliating people in the past.

With no love lost between her and the officials, it comes as no surprise that a whisper campaign has been launched against her here. This time the officials accuse her of interfering in the district administration though she is officially posted in Ranchi.

?She not only spends more time in Hazaribagh, but tends to interfere with official work by virtue of being the deputy commissioner?s wife,? alleged one of them.

Even the Hazaribagh Mahotsava, they claimed, bore her stamp as she had the final say on everything, including the singers who were to be invited. Her impromptu decision to shake her legs has now given more ammunition to this lobby, who have raised questions about the funds for the Mahotsava.

Deputy commissioner Purwar agreed that fresh tenders were not invited this year for organising the Mahotsava. But he claimed that organisers relied upon tenders floated before last year?s function and picked up the same suppliers and at ?reasonable? rates.

Critics, however, are far from convinced. For any work valued at more than Rs 20,000, government rules prescribe allotment of contract through open tenders.

By not following the rule, they said, the administration has aroused suspicion of financial irregularities. As much as Rs 40 lakh, they claimed, was raised this year through donations, sale of tickets and by allotting stalls to NGOs, banks etc.

The organising secretary, Vijay Kumar, who is also in charge of Nehru Yuvak Kendra, claimed every single decision had been authorised by the DC.