​ANKARA

When Rajesh Vishwas, a government official in India’s central state of Chhattisgarh, went on an outing last month, little did he know that taking selfies would prove to be a costly mistake.

After accidentally dropping his pricey smartphone into a reservoir next to a dam while taking the photos, he decided to have the waterbody drained to retrieve it, only to be suspended for his action, with the incident making international headlines.

On Wednesday a police case was registered against Vishwas and two other officials. It came after the local water resources department fined him 53,092 rupees ($640) for the unauthorized draining of the reservoir.

The incident

On a sunny weekend, Vishwas, a food inspector in Kanker district of Chhattisgarh, went to bathe in the Paralkot Reservoir of the Kherkatta Dam along with his friends. While he was busy clicking selfies from his newly purchased phone, he dropped it into the 10-feet-deep water.

The dam -- built in the 1990s -- is located in North Bastar Kanker district in southern Chhattisgarh. The population of the district was put at 748,941, according to the last official census conducted in 2021.

Previously, Chhattisgarh state has reported water shortages during the summer.

After his phone fell into the reservoir, being a local of the area, he launched his own mission to retrieve it. Initially, he said, he roped in local villagers who knew diving to search for the phone, which didn't help.

Vishwas said that since the villagers had failed to find the phone, they suggested that draining some of the water from the reservoir could help in recovering it.

He then approached the local water resources department for permission and also rented a diesel pump for the operation. After more than two days of draining the reservoir, the water-logged phone was found and handed over to Vishwas.

The action

Following the phone’s retrieval from the reservoir, the news spread, making both local and international headlines. The government then ordered Vishwas’s suspension. Days later, Chhattisgarh’s water resources department sent a letter to him stating that he drained water from the cistern of a waste weir without seeking permission from the authorities.

Vishwas was asked to pay 43,092 rupees ($520) at the rate of Rs10.50 per cubic meter, according to the letter. Another penalty of Rs10,000 ($120) was imposed for evacuating water without permission. The amount must be paid within 10 days. In the letter, it was said that Vishwas wasted around 4,104 cubic meters (4.1 million liters) of water.

In his suspension order, it was said that Vishwas "misused his position," and without "seeking permission from the competent officer” drained hundreds of thousands of liters of water during the scorching summer, which is unacceptable. For this act, he was “placed under suspension with immediate effect.”

Local news agency Press Trust of India said a case has been registered against the official and two more officials from the water resources department following a complaint from local authorities.

Not Guilty

Vishwas defended his action, however, saying he didn't waste the water and that the matter was exaggerated by the media.

Initially, he was quoted as saying that he had to get the phone, as it contained official departmental data. In a video message, however, Vishwas said he was allowed by officials to drain two to three feet of water, which was transferred to a nearby canal.

"The water level usually falls by two to three feet during summers," he added.