Lucknow, May 15 (IANS): Uttar Pradesh Governor B.L. Joshi has directed the chief minister's office to take "appropriate action" against cabinet
minister Shiv Kumar Beria for comments against police and other officials at a public meeting.

The governor's secretariat shot off a letter to the principal secretary of the chief minister May 9 seeking action based on a complaint filed by social activist Nutan Thakur, the complainant said Wednesday.

Alleging that Textile Minister Beria had used "abjectly improper and criminal language" amounting to abuse and intimidation of police personnel and other officials, the activist sought the minister's sacking.

Thakur said Beria's statement that police personnel and other officials cannot take a seat without his permission or else they would be stripped off their uniform was "not only objectionable (but) also criminal in nature".

Saying she was happy the governor had acted upon her complaint, Thakur told IANS that people holding high posts cannot be allowed to get away with such abuse of power.