Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh: Rajkumar Rathore, a building officer with the Ujjain Municipal Corporation (UMC) handling Zones 1, 2, and 3, is facing departmental action after an Instagram reel posted by his wife inadvertently exposed his unauthorized foreign travel.
The controversy began when Rathore’s wife uploaded a vacation video with the caption “Trying crocodile for the first time in Thailand,” showing the couple sampling crocodile meat at a local street food stall surrounded by decorative skulls and meat displays.
While the unusual delicacy drew public attention on social media, it landed Rathore in trouble with administrative authorities for service rule violations. According to Ujjain Municipal Corporation Commissioner Abhilash Mishra, Rathore had applied for routine leave from October 19 to 23 but failed to state in his application that he intended to travel abroad. Government service regulations strictly mandate that civic employees obtain explicit prior sanction from competent authorities before undertaking any international travel.
The viral video alerted the civic body to his overseas trip, prompting an official inquiry into the omission. Commissioner Mishra confirmed that the department is auditing leave records, and disciplinary proceedings will be initiated against Rathore if an official violation of government service rules is established.