Srinagar, July 10: The J&K government has initiated departmental action against top IAS officer, Shah Faesal for his recent tweet which, the authorities claim, is in contravention of the Service Rules.
Faesal on Tuesday uploaded on his Facebook account a notice served to him by the General Administration Department (GAD).
“Love letter from my boss for my sarcastic tweet against rape-culture in South Asia. The irony here is that service rules with a colonial spirit are invoked in a democratic India to stifle the freedom of conscience. I’m sharing this to underscore the need for a rule change,” tweeted Faesal while sharing a copy of the notice.
The notice states that the Government of India’s Department of Personnel & Training (DOPT) has forwarded to GAD a copy of communication pointing out the several references made by Faesal on his Twitter account.
“…contents are prima-facie in contravention of the extant provisions of All India Services (Conduct Rules), 1968. Screen-shots of the post made by you in your Twitter account are enclosed,” read the notice.
Among other references, the DOPT, as per GAD notice, has attached a screenshot of a tweet Faesal wrote on April 22.
“Patriarchy+Population+Illiteracy+Alcohol+Porn+Technology+Anarchy = Rapistan!” he had written.
DOPT, the GAD notice to Faesal reads, has requested the J&K Government to initiate action against him under provisions of All India (Discipline & Appeal) Rules, 1969, and to inform it (DOPT) of the same.
“You have allegedly failed to maintain absolute honesty and integrity in discharge of your official duty and this acted in a manner unbecoming of a public servant,” read the GAD notice.
Faesal, at present, is pursuing Edward S. Mason Mid-Career Masters Programme in John F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Reacting to it, NC’s Omar Abdullah tweeted: Looks like DOPT is determined to chase @shahfaesal out of the civil services. The last line of this page is shocking & unacceptable where they question Faesal’s “integrity & honesty”. How is a sarcastic tweet dishonest? How does it make him corrupt?”
