A government official in India has been suspended after he had a dam reservoir drained so he could retrieve the phone he dropped while taking a selfie.

Food inspector Rajesh Vishwas’ cellphone slipped from his grasp and fell into the Paralkot reservoir in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh last week, according to CNN.

Mr. Vishwas at first had divers search the water for his Samsung phone, but when that failed, he had a diesel pump brought in to drain the reservoir, the BBC reported.

More than 2 million liters of water were removed over a four-day period. Mr. Vishwas’ phone was irreparably waterlogged when it was found.  

“He has been suspended until an inquiry. Water is an essential resource, and it cannot be wasted like this,” Priyanka Shukla, a Kanker district official, told The National newspaper.

The food inspector said in a statement to the Indian Express that he received permission to drain the reservoir, but his suspension order said no such permission was granted.

Mr. Vishwas denied accusations that he misused his position. He also said the water he drained was from the dam’s overflow section and was “not in usable condition.”

• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.