Kendrapara: Additional district magistrate Basant Kumar Rout is in a spot for humiliating some revenue inspectors by making them do sit-ups in the presence of their colleagues on Tuesday.

The episode has grabbed eyeballs with the victims filing a written complaint with the district collector on Wednesday.

The incident occurred on Tuesday during the course of a review meeting of revenue circles in Rajnagar tehsil office. Rout, who presided over the meeting, made some revenue inspectors do sit-ups for turning up late in the review meeting. The meeting was scheduled to be held at 9.30am. However, the revenue inspectors of Righagada and Gupti circles had turned up at the meeting fifteen minutes late. Rout forced them to do sit-ups, said Rajnagar tehsildar Nihar Ranjan Mallick.

Rout could not be contacted for his comments on the issue and his cell phone remained switched off.

An office-bearer of All-Odisha Revenue Inspectors' Association termed the incident "unfortunate".

"Such show of highhandedness on part of a senior officer was uncalled for. The revenue inspectors are responsible government employees doing several duties in remote areas. So, arriving late for a meeting was not so big an offence that deserved such physical punishment. They are not kids who are to be taught lessons like that," said Dukhishyam Panda of the All-Odisha Revenue Inspectors' Association.

"It was a humiliating experience. I am still in a state shock and trauma a day after the incident," said Gupti revenue circle inspector Karunakar Mallick.

"After probe, we have found this to be a true incident. Such behaviour on part the additional district magistrate was undesirable. He has tendered unconditional apology to a delegation of revenue inspectors today," said Kendrapara collector Reghu G.