Earlier this week, news of an IAS officer by the name Soumya Pandey, who is the SDM of Modinagar, attending work just 14 days after giving birth to a child went viral. Since she didn't avail of 6 months of maternity leave and joined back office with her infant daughter, even the IAS Association lauded her.

However, the officer has come in for criticism from some sections. Many on social media have described her refusal to avail of maternity leave as foolish.

On her part, Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote, "Bringing a 14-day old baby to work to prove a point is not bravado but unnecessary. After childbirth, every mother and child needs time to recuperate. Stop falling into this trap of having to prove a point of being a superwoman always, show respect to yourself&child’s well being."

Late Sushma Swaraj's husband and former Mizoram Governor Swaraj Kaushal wrote, "You are overdoing this. The infants are prone to infections. If Sushma Swaraj was around, she would have telephoned you by now."

Journalist Janani Sampath tweeted that the IAS officer's decision puts the infant at risk during COVID-19 times. "Maternity break gives women an equal chance to pursue careers after having kids and ensure they care for their babies in the first six months by not weaning them off breastfeeding. And during covid times bringing a newborn to a place frequented by many is a huge risk. The wrong example," she wrote.