Dr. Shashank Goel, IAS – VIP Darshan request | X user Dr Aniruddha Malpani MD
A typed document suggesting an IAS officer seeking VIP darshan at a well known temple in Tamil Nadu during his visit to the state has gone viral and sparked an discussion about VIP culture in India. A digital copy of the letter was posted by X user Dr Aniruddha Malpani MD, who slammed the act of government officials misusing their power and positions to take darshan at temples while other devotees stand in hours-long queues for it.
“How #IAS officers misuse their position to get VIP darshans! Why are we so spineless that we put up with this rubbish?”, Malpani wrote while sharing the photo of the now-viral letter.
The documented was signed and drafted by the Hyderabad Dr MCR HRD Institute of Telangana, which Dr Shashank Goel IAS took charge in 2023, serving the role of a Director General.
Read the full letter below
The letter surfaced ahead of Goel’s visit to Tamil Nadu and sought VIP darshan arrangements for him. “Dr. Shashank Goel, IAS (1990 Batch), Director General & E.O. Spl. Chief Secretary to Government of Hangana, Dr. MCR HRD IT, Hyderabad is visiting to Brideswara Temple Royal Palace on 13th March, 2025. I request you that kindly instruct the concerned person to facilitate Darshan in Brideswara Temple (sic)”, it read.
Addressed to an official in Thanjavur, the Personal Clerk to District Collector, the letter was signed by B Nirmala Devi, PA to Director General Dr Shashank Goel, IAS.
Notably, the intimation and darshan request letter was issued on a plain paper instead of on official letterhead. Also, the spelling of the popular temple was incorrectly typed as “Brideswara” instead of “Brihadeeswara”, hence questioning its authenticity. While the photo of the signed paper has gone viral and sparked reactions, it is unclear whether the document was real or fake.
Netizens react
One reflected on the incident and wrote, “Not only some civil servants but also our politicians (get VIP darshans). And still we say all our equal before Law, God and constitution. Need to revisit such special privileges if we are truly a Democracy”. “WOW! So, IAS officers will not stand in line for darshan, they expect VIP Darshan”, another commented while condemning the VIP culture.
