Ayodhya: A day after 1978 batch Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Krishna Mohan was appointed as the interim general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, former colleagues described him as an administrator guided by one principle of “no friendship, no fear”, ensuring that personal relationships never influenced official decisions.Retired IFS officers, Shirish Asthana and Ram Pravesh Tiwari, said Krishna Mohan built his four decades career on impartiality and a solution oriented approach. “He always found solutions, never created controversy,” Asthana said, while Tiwari summed up Mohan’s professional philosophy as “na kisi se dosti, na kisi se bhay” (no friendship, no fear), saying his balanced temperament and unwavering commitment to duty earned him respect across the service.Retired chief conservator of forests, Maharashtra, Shirish Asthana, a 1977 batch IFS officer, recalled Mohan as an exceptionally balanced, straightforward and controversy free administrator. According to him, Mohan’s calm approach and ability to interpret rules in the larger public interest made him stand out during his career.“He was a very quiet, very balanced and a very good officer. He came from a humble background but his performance throughout his tenure in Maharashtra was outstanding,” said Asthana, who hails from UP, but settled in Pune after retirement from IFS.Krishna Mohan, who hails from UP’s Hardoi, joined the Indian Forest Service after working with the mineral exploration division of the Atomic Energy Commission. He studied geology at Lucknow University before entering the civil services and retired in 2011 as the principal chief conservator of forests.Asthana, who was Mohan’s junior at LU while pursuing mathematics and physics, said Mohan never allowed routine administrative matters to turn into disputes. “In over three decades of service, he never tried to create controversy. He interpreted rules in the larger interest of society and always found a lawful solution to difficult situations,” he said.Recalling his tenure in Maharashtra, Asthana cited the challenging Aurangabad Circle, where Krishna Mohan succeeded him. “It was one of the most complicated circles. He worked there for nearly four years after me. Not once did he point out any error in the decisions I had taken. He had faith in my work and believed every issue could be resolved within the system,” Asthana said.Echoing similar views, Ram Pravesh Tiwari, a retired 1978 batch IFS officer settled in Lucknow, who served alongside Krishna Mohan for over four decades, described him as a “rare personality” driven by patriotism, strong character and complete dedication to duty, free from personal interest.Tiwari said both joined the IFS in 1978. They were initially allotted to the Maharashtra cadre before the latter shifted to Uttar Pradesh. Although Krishna Mohan was Asthana’s senior at the University of Lucknow, he became junior in service after joining the IFS, Both Tiwari and Mohan retired in 2011.According to Tiwari, Krishna Mohan remained strictly devoted to duty and was known for complete impartiality. Summing up his colleague’s philosophy, he said Mohan believed in “na kisi se dosti, na kisi se bhay” (no friendship, no fear), ensuring that personal relationships never influenced official decisions.Unlike officers who openly challenged wrong decisions in meetings or courts, Tiwari said Krishna Mohan preferred to register his dissent through official channels and actions. “He never defended anyone who had committed a mistake,” Tiwari added.Both former colleagues expressed confidence that these qualities would help Krishna Mohan in his new assignment at the Ram temple.Asthana said his balanced administrative abilities would enable him to discharge responsibility successfully, while Tiwari said Mohan’s impartiality and management skills made him the right person to steer the Trust through a challenging phase without favoritism or bias.
