The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s Fire and Emergency Services Department has issued a show-cause notice to North West Zone Divisional Fire Officer Swastik Jadeja over alleged indiscipline and misuse of a government vehicle during a dispute at garba venues. Jadeja has separately sought an Anti-Corruption Bureau inquiry against in-charge Chief Fire Officer Jayesh Khadia, escalating an internal administrative conflict in the city’s fire department.
According to the report, organisers of the ‘Parampara’ garba venue and another garba location complained to Khadia by telephone after Jadeja allegedly created a disturbance over entry passes on Friday night. The complaint led to an internal inquiry into the vehicle used by the DFO and the circumstances surrounding his visit to the venues.
The show-cause notice states that a Bolero vehicle assigned to Jadeja was available at the Thaltej Fire Station on October 16, 2026. However, the notice alleges that he left that vehicle and took a first-response vehicle assigned to the station fire officer without prior approval or an entry in the department’s daily records or the Paldi control room register.
The notice further alleges that the first-response vehicle remained away from the station for approximately 13 hours without an official record entry. It was reportedly returned at 4:18 am on October 17, after which entries were allegedly made at 4:25 am. The department has cited possible violations of Rule 3 of the Gujarat Civil Services Conduct Rules, 1971, and provisions of the Gujarat Provincial Municipal Corporations Act.
The notice also refers to a telephone exchange between Khadia and Jadeja during which the DFO allegedly argued with the in-charge chief fire officer. Jadeja has been asked to provide an explanation within one day regarding the allegations made against him.
The report also carries allegations from garba organisers that pressure was applied by the officer over passes. These claims have been presented as complaints by the organisers and are not established as findings in the supplied report. Separately, the report says there has been discussion within the department that another vehicle may have been used because Jadeja’s assigned Bolero had GPS tracking. The report does not establish this as a confirmed finding.
Jadeja has responded by submitting a four-page letter seeking an ACB investigation into Khadia. The dispute comes while regular Chief Fire Officer Mithun Mistry is on leave due to ill health, with Khadia handling the department in an acting capacity. The next formal step is Jadeja’s response to the show-cause notice and any administrative or investigative action arising from the competing complaints.
