Public servants and constitutional obligations 

Under the Indian Constitution, IAS officers are bound by principles of secularism and non-discriminatory governance. Articles 25-28 of the Constitution establish the framework of religious freedom, explicitly prohibiting the state from promoting or endorsing any particular faith. Additionally, the All-India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968, specifically Rule 5(1), mandate that civil servants must maintain political and religious neutrality in official functions and refrain from activities that could be construed as aligning with any religious ideology. The question arises: Does this visit align with these constitutional mandates, or does it indicate a shift towards a religiously aligned bureaucracy?

Religious bureaucracy: A growing trend? 

1. Babri masjid demolition and civil servants’ involvement

This is not the first time such an event has occurred. Since the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992, there has been a visible shift in the engagement of public servants in religious affairs. A senior IAS officer from the 1992 batch recently admitted to celebrating the Babri Masjid demolition while undergoing training in Mussoorie. In her social media post, she justified the act, calling it a moment of “something powerful, something positive, something auspicious.” The revelation underscores a troubling history of bias within the bureaucracy and the risks of a majoritarian outlook creeping into civil services.

2. Lifting of the ban on civil servants in RSS

In 2023, the Central Government revoked a 58-year-old ban on civil servants participating in RSS activities, further eroding the secular principles of governance. Critics argue that the RSS ideology conflicts with constitutional morality, which emphasizes pluralism and inclusivity. This move has sparked significant debate on whether civil servants can maintain impartiality while being affiliated with an organization that has strong ideological leanings. The decision raises concerns about the politicization of the bureaucracy and its impact on the neutrality of administrative functions.

3. The Kerala WhatsApp group controversy

The Kerala government recently suspended two IAS officers, K. Gopalakrishnan and N. Prasanth, for misconduct related to a religion-based WhatsApp group. Gopalakrishnan allegedly created the group, named “Mallu Hindu Officers,” which included only Hindu officers, prompting objections for violating secular values. Following widespread criticism, the group was deleted, and Gopalakrishnan claimed his phone was hacked. Intelligence agencies raised concerns over this first instance of a religiously exclusive group among IAS officials. This incident follows another controversy involving IPS officer M.R. Ajith Kumar, who faced scrutiny for meeting RSS leaders without government approval. The Kerala government swiftly suspended the officers, reinforcing the principle that religion should not influence administrative duties.

4. The Tamil Nadu preaching controversy

Tamil Nadu IAS officer C. Umashankar, a 1990 batch officer, was prohibited by the state government from engaging in religious preaching. A Dalit Christian convert, he had been leading evangelical sessions, arguing that his fundamental rights under Article 25 of the Constitution allowed him to propagate his faith. The Tamil Nadu government, however, warned that this violated the All-India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968, which require civil servants to remain neutral in religious matters. Former Cabinet Secretary T.S.R. Subramanian commented that civil servants cannot publicly profess religion and must either resign or abide by service rules.

Impact on governance and public perception 

The IAS probationers’ visit and other recent developments have broader implications for secular and non-discriminatory governance. If civil servants are trained in the management of Hindu temples, should similar training be extended to mosques, churches, and gurdwaras? These incidents raise concerns over bureaucratic alignment with religious institutions. The increasing alignment of bureaucracy with religious groups erodes constitutional democracy, which is based on pluralism and separation of powers. Minority communities may perceive bias in governance, weakening trust in an impartial administration.

The way forward 

While public servants must understand diverse cultural and religious contexts, their training and conduct should be neutral and inclusive, covering all major religious institutions. They must avoid direct participation in religious rituals and focus on administrative management rather than religious engagement. Adhering to strict secular principles is essential to prevent the politicisation of the bureaucracy. With secularism as a basic feature of the Constitution, ensuring that public servants uphold neutrality is crucial.

These recent developments, from WhatsApp group exclusivity to bureaucratic celebrations of Babri demolition and participation in religious management, raise critical questions on the evolving relationship between state and religion—questions that India must address to remain true to its constitutional ethos.

Related:

When the Supreme Court Firmly De-linked Religion from Politics

Behind the BJP’s move to lift the 58-year-old ban on the participation of central government officials in RSS activities

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“The bedrock of all civil services in any democracy worth the name is their independence, neutrality, non-adherence to any political ideology in the discharge of official duties, the freedom to articulate their views to the political executive and the security of knowing that they would not be subjected to arbitrary actions for adhering to these values.

“These foundational characteristics had been forcefully expressed by Sardar Patel in his address to the Constituent Assembly in October 1947 in the following words:

“There is no alternative to this administrative system…The Union will go, you will not have a united India if you do not have a good All India Service which has the independence to speak out its mind, which has the sense of security that you will stand by your work…If you do not follow this course, then do not follow the present Constitution…Remove them and I see nothing but a picture of chaos all over the country.”

“Contrary to the above exhortation, we fear that the government, of which you are the constitutional head, is now attempting to distort this basic framework and historical understanding.  

Further,  measures are being taken that threaten the unique federal design of the IAS and the IPS, which underlies Sardar Patel’s vision of a permanent civil service that would  both bind the country together and enable it to maintain a balance between the interests of the Union and the interests of the States. There are noticeable attempts to pressurise officers to show exclusive loyalty to the Union rather than to the ‘parent’ state cadre to which they are allotted. On occasion, arbitrary departmental actions have been taken against those who refuse to do so. Service Rules are sought to be amended to compel central deputations without the consent of either the officers concerned or their state governments, effectively undermining the authority and control of Chief Ministers over their officers. This has disturbed the federal balance and left civil servants torn between conflicting loyalties, thereby weakening their ability to be impartial.

“In the past governments have permitted lateral recruitment at senior levels and many such officers have distinguished themselves. Lately, however, there has been opacity in the recruitment process at mid-levels and concerns that candidates are being chosen based on their ideological predilections. The consequences of this for the future of an independent civil service requires no comment.  

The CCG has also flagged certain concerning statements by high functionaries.

“The actions and words of some very senior functionaries of the central government increases our concern on the future of the civil service and the consequent danger to democracy in India.

“In this context we would like to mention that the National Security Advisor (NSA), while addressing IPS officers at their passing out function in 2021, had emphasised that they should treat civil society as the “fourth  generation of warfare, that can be subverted, suborned, divided and manipulated to hurt the interests of the nation”.  Such sentiments are antithetical to any democratic dispensation and aim at placing civil society in a position of conflict with the state.

“On the April 21, this year, the Prime Minister addressed a gathering of civil service officers on Civil Services Day. The address was unremarkable and comprised largely of a litany of the achievements of the present government over the past nine years, with a proforma acknowledgement of the contributions of the civil services. What was disturbing was his exhortation to the officers to be firm in dealing with malfeasance of political parties while in power. Though couched neutrally, the intent and objective were unmistakable.”

The bureaucrats have stated that their “concern about the future of the civil services is heightened by the reaction of some civil servants.

“The Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie (LBSNAA) is the foundational training institute for All India Services and Central Services. In a recent op-ed, the Director of the LBSNAA wrote, “The task of defining an Indian ethos for the civil servants began in the 75^th year of India’s independence, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address where he spelt out the country’s vision….”. Such unwarranted encomiums to the Prime Minister, by the Director of the premier academy for training future civil servants, are deeply disturbing.”

The group states further that they” apprehend that moves are afoot to redact Sardar Patel’s vision of an independent and apolitical civil service and replace it with apparatchiks and foot soldiers whose loyalty shall be to the ruling party and not to the Constitution of India. “

Who is the CCG?

The CCG is a group of former civil servants of the All India and Central Services who have worked with the Central and State Governments in the course of our careers. Both as individuals and as a group, we believe in impartiality, neutrality and commitment to the Constitution of India. We do not owe allegiance to any political party.

At a time when politics is leaning dangerously towards a centralised, authoritarian, national security state with a leadership  seemingly amenable to abandoning, without demur, the fundamental principles on which our Constitution is based, it has become critical for citizens to ensure that institutions and systems like the civil services which can check this frightening erosion of constitutional values in the manner envisaged by the great Sardar are protected and strengthened. By virtue of their allegiance to the Constitution and not the government of the day, the All India Services, particularly the IAS and IPS, have a critical role to play. As the Constitutional Head of the Republic, we appeal to you to convey our concerns to the Union Government and caution them that this attempt to change the character of the civil services is fraught with extreme danger and, as Sardar Patel had warned many years ago, will spell the death of constitutional government in India.

Constitutional Conduct Group (82 signatories, as below)

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IAS officer Rohini Sindhuri, 35, was removed from her position as the secretary of the Karnataka Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board for resisting attempts of possible misuse of funds meant for the upliftment of labourers.

Transferred on September 20, just when the Board was set to launch mobile creches for children of construction workers, Sindhuri has not been assigned a new posting. Labour Commissioner K G Shantaram has been given simultaneous charge of the board.

The Board currently sits on a corpus of around Rs. 8,000 crores, mostly acquired through the labour cess of 1% levied on all construction projects – government or private. Taking sight of the fact that only Rs. 800 crores were spent in the last eight years, Sindhuri was trying to streamline the Board’s expenditure. According to sources, she was put under immense pressure to allocate the funds in a way that could have led to pilferage.

Sources also claim that Sindhuri was directed by a senior IAS officer to discard the official tendering process and award various works of the Board to the state-run Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation (KEONICS). Sindhuri was aware that KEONICS had a poor track record with implementation of projects and had decided on choosing service providers from the open market through a proper tendering process.

Sindhuri was also allegedly pressurized to divert a portion of the Board’s funds towards flood relief. She was first asked to part with Rs. 3,000 crores and then Rs, 1,000 crores for the distribution of food packets, furniture and lighting in flood-hit areas. She wanted proper procedures to be followed for this allocation since the Supreme Court monitored and laid clear guidelines on how the cess money was to be spent. She was worried that without adhering to the proper rules, the money for flood relief could be misused.

Past Instances
For the past two years, Sindhuri has been having a tryst with transfers. In 2018, JD(S) Supremo H D Deve Gowda condemned her transfer as the Deputy Commissioner (Hassan). Calling it an instance of ‘high handedness’ on part of then chief minister, Siddaramaiah’s cabinet colleague, A Manju, Deve Gowda said that the minister had demanded her transfer as she was trying to curb financial irregularities in the Mahamastakabhisheka works at Shravanabelagola.

(Source – The Hindu)
 
Similar Ousters from across the country
Rohini’s transfer is just one among the slew of officers of the IAS and IPS cadre that the government has transferred in the past years.

IAS officer and a whistle-blower, Ashok Khemka has been in the headlines for stopping a land deal between Robert Vadra and DLF. He recently faced his 52^nd transfer in his 27-year career as a price for his honesty. Due to frequent run-ins with bigwigs of real estate and political circuits, he earned disfavour within government ranks and even his own colleagues.

Also, in lieu of being transferred 27 times in a decade for exposing a scam, Karnataka Officer K Mathai registered a case in May 2019 with the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC) against Chief Secretary of Karnataka Vijay Bhaskar over alleged human rights violation. The case, registered under Article 14, 15 and 16 of the Constitution, states that his transfers were a result of vindictive action and he suffered mental agony due to this war against corruption.

A high-risk career
The post of an IAS officer still holds a place of pride in the country. Hearing of the expulsion and transfer of honest IAS officers like Rohini Sindhuri and others for expressing their dissent or being booked by investigating agencies for standing up against corruption, really makes one wonder if there is any place for honesty in our ‘democracy’?
 

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Sasikanth Senthil I witnessed:

It was Diwali time.  A huge box of gift is sent to the collectors  by a big businessman. The collector inquired what is in the gift box.

“ Boss has sent Diwali gift”, that is what the delivery man replies, the collector, asks the assistant to keep it. Its piled up with other gifts in the corner. After a week or so, an assistant reminds the collector about the boxes laying in the corner.

. The collector says okay , take those boxes for you, take it home he orders to the assistant. The Assistant to check the state of the sweets, before taking it home, opens the box, and to his utter surprise he finds, currency note bundles !!!.

The Assistants, immediately reports this to the Collector.  . Seeing currency note bundles, the Collector seething with anger,  He calls the senior Police officer. He insists for registering the complaint against the sender of the box.

The senior officer, was quiet for a while, later and said, that, if you register a case, it will be blown out  in the newspaper, and it will be a scandal, I advise you to think about all these, and whether it is essential to register a case. It will be overwhelming for you to reply every query over it and it will surely hamper the work.  .” You have bigger task to do, ponder over it , if you think, its essential to register the case, I will register it.

He thinks over it, and instructs police officer to call the man and throw money to his face, and also instructs him to give warning not to do something like that henceforth.

This is the incident happened in the office of the young Collector Mr.Sasikanth Senthil, who resigned from the service recently. This episode happened, when young Senthil was Collector of Raichur.  . It was told to me by the senior Police Officer, in confidence, I beg for pardon from the officer for writing this here and also I beg for pardon from Senthil,  because, he avoided lime light, and always preferred to work quietly.

*****

Before joining Raichul ,  senthil was working as Assistant Commissioner, while the mining dons control over the region was at peak.  He was also CEO of Shivmoga Jilla Panchayat. While he was being transferred to RAichur as Collector, a relative of mine, who was his assistant, and  had witnessed Senthil from very close proximity, had called and told me that, my boss will be coming as the Collector to Raichur, and he is very straightforward, sincere , honest, and he sensitive to the plight of man on the street, had  praised him with many words.. He had told me to meet him, immediately after he resumes the post.
He was replaced by one very corrupt collector, and he was welcomed with garlands, and bombast of praise by the industrialists, social workers, politicians etc, after all that, I phoned him for a meeting, he at once said come any time. I was in his chamber for more than an hour, he discussed everything about the district. He  assumed the post of  Collector and was aware of the authority and jurisdiction it had as the Collector and also as the District Magistrate.  . His talk was full of his ideas and dream to  use his powers to stem the influence of the corrupt officers, and use the power for the benefit of the general masses.

*****.

A canteen in the premises of the Collector’s office was our adda for journalists.  , it was press reporters routine to sit there and talk over cup of teas for hours.  . It came to my notice that, for last few days a villager was regular there. I wanted to know, why he comes almost every day, one day, I inquired the reason why he was there, His name Paramesh, village Dongrapur resident.  . Under Land to the tiller Act, brought by Indira Gandhi, the surplus land of the land lords were acquired by the government to distribute it to the dalits, the distribution was 4 dalith families, two acre each.  Unfortunately, it had not reached Dalits in his village. They could not identify the land which was acquired for distribution. Parmaesh was given information about it, in recent past., to acquire it, he regularly travels 25km to the Collector’s office. It has fell in to the deaf ears of the office staff.  Myself and my photographer , Santhosh Sagar, together, we visited Dongrapur and made news report of the story, and it was flashed in front page  of The Hindu. I approached Collector Senthil, with Paramesh,. The reality of the  plight  of Dalith, is not new to the Collector Senthil, as he himself is a Dalith.  . He orally ordered the Assistant Commissioner to survey the land in Dungarapur and hand over the possession to Paramesh, and it was done.

However, Paramesh, was not happy with the land, it was rocky land, no yield could be grown, paremesh was dissatisfied, and complained, he insisted that,  this piece of the land is not which was allotted to me, on his complaint, Senthil personally visited the village, surveyed the land, and inspected the papers and confirmed that, there is no irregularity in allotment, and handed over the piece of land.. Senthil sympathised with Paramesh, it was true, that said piece of land was not much of use, but he was helpless, land lords never handed over fertile land to the government as surplus, and Government disbursed these unfertile land to the Daliths.  . It was show put up by the authorities of land disbursement.

The collector, made an effort to allot piece of land elsewhere to Paramesh, on his disagreement to accept the allotment, as he was adamant, if land is allotted elsewhere, he should be given 5 acre land instead of 2acre, which was not within the purview of the Collector’s powers, and the matter remained pending. As time passed, the issue was not solved, and I helped Parmesh to approach Lokayukhta Bhaskar Rao, and drafted the petition for him.  . Parmesh was adamant. After few years I was posted at Gulbarga, and Senthil also was left the district on transfer.  Recently I visited Paramesh’s village, and found out that, finally he was not allotted the land, and though the villagers fondly remembered Paremesh story, and were of the opinion, Senthil Saheb was very sensitive to the people’s issues, he went out of his way to be help for the common people.

*****
The raid without any intimation on a Recreation Club, in outskirt of Raichur, at Yaramaska, was shock and sent chill down the spine of gamblers, and also it was headline news for the state.

It was Saturday night, about 10 pm.  The alcohol was flowing like water in the club.  Gamblers stake was in crores of rupees.  It was the scene of a chaos, the drunk were unstable, trying to balance. The men who had won lacs  of rupees were screaming with delight. Men who lost were scrambling for more money to bid, to win the gamble.. All of a sudden, the team of eight officers and Senthil raided the place, and men tying their mundus in hurry ran out, few them slipped on their pants and tried to get out, and got behind the wheels and started driving their cars rashly to get out the scene.  . Finally only some twenty people were caught out of some 800 assembled there.

By the time, SP, Raichur, DySP, Vijayakumar Madiwal, arrived with police force, everything was quiet in the cludb.. Senthil had taken everyone in DVR Recreation Clun under his custody, and there was not much to do for the police. He collected the notes lying around thrown by the gamblers, and distributed it to the constables to count and account for.

The club was started by big politicians, and real estate businessmen of Telengana some eight months back. It was for the entertainment of Hyderabad, Mehboob Nagar, Karnool, rich of Andhra Telengana, women, wine, and gambling were provided in the club.  They needed protection of police to provide alcohol without permit, and for prostitution, and gambling.  . The protection was provided by the Senior POLice officer, who was on the post, before Chetan Singh rathod.  .It was discussed amongst the people, that Senior Police Officer was given Rs.1 lac per month.

This officer worked under Mining scandal Reddy. It is recorded in the Report submitted by Lokayukhta Santosh Hegde. After transfer to  Raichur, he commenced serving this club. Initially, it was few local people gambled in this club. Once this officer was transferred to this region, the club’s fame spread up to Hyderabad, Mehboob Nagar,  Kurnool, the men who were cash rich with real estate deals, corrupt cash rich government officials, corrupt moneyed politicians became its clients. Wine, women, gambling became regular in the club. Eventually, Telegu women flim actors, TV anchors, were seen here, later, women were brought in hoard to the club. The clients/guests were accommodated in a lodge nearby for overnight stay.

Both Sasikanth Senthil and the SP both were known to each other. They both  worked in Bellary..Senthil, though newly posted in Bellary as the collector, made all efforts to keep away from Bellary mining scam, and kept himself engaged in pro people work, and SP was fully hand in glove with Bellary mining scam.  . If plan of  raid was informed to the police department beforehand, the raid would have been futile, SP would have informed the club managers, it was SP who was  covering their back.  Sethil was careful enough to keep the Police department in dark.

It was embarrassment for police department, especially to the SP, that the Collector conducted raid keeping the police department in dark.  Nobody saw SP for two days. The corrupt practice of Raichur Police department became story in the state.

One Inspector K.Basavraj was made scape goat for Club’s illegal operation, and was terminated from the service, this was face saving exercise of the police department.

The SP wanted to suspend one Constable.    Three of them who were framed for the operation, one of the constable who as at the verge of retirement, gathered some courage questioned the SP, why you are terminating me. He was surprised by her rebellious attitude, he realised, suspending her will enrage the  lower rank in the police, and it may lead to some kind of rebel action, which may put him in the difficult situation. He withdrew termination of woman constable. The Circle Inspector, Basavraj who was suspended, had reputation of a short tempered officer, who had used his physical prowess, with uncontrolled anger  and was become news in the community, he was seething with anger with he named as the accused, leaving out  SP and others scot free,  in recreation club scandal.  When he was given news of suspension, he buckled his revolver to his waist, and left, without informing where is he heading to. He did not respond to phone calls of family members or friends, or even SP. He did not take call from North East zone IGP.. Finally he picked up the phone call from Director Banglore , Karnataka Police. He returned to Raichur, only after Director Banglore assured him, that, his suspension order will be revoked. Hence, within few days, suspension order was revoked without any inquiry in to the matter.

The firm step of Collector Senthil not only shaken the police department, but also become a reason for transfer of the SP.

*****

The menace of deafening DJ sound  had become part of the Ganpati festival. Of course, problem was not  limited to Rauchur.   Its routine spectacle in most of the towns and citis, the loud blaring of  DJ sound system  during Ganapati visarjan or at pandals. Police Department had a case, of one Police man going deaf, after he was posted at a pandal with lound DJ sound system, it was reported to the press.

As per the rule of Environment, and Forest Protection rules of 1986, the sound cannot go higher than 55 decibel in the day and 45 decibel in the night.  . The sound decibel of DJ is about 129.  Supreme Court has passed a judgement in 2005 restraining DJ music between 10 pm to 6 am in the night.

Senthil as a collector restrained use of DJ. There are about 1400 public Ganapati pandal, out of which 300 pandals use DJ sound system in the pandal or during visarjan  In RAichur Town alone there are about 150 GAnapati mandals, and they take about 18hours for visarjan procession.  It was challenging task for Senthil to face resistance to insist for this mandals to abide by the DJ rules.  . There was sure possibilities of Hindutva groups defaming him as Anti Hindu officer. But with determination he took up the task to control the DJ menace.

His approach to tackle this menace was a  well thought out plan. Firstly he gathered Police officers, and Environment activists, and handed over the copy of the supreme Court judgement and rules pertaining to noise control in the community. The journalists reported the adverse impact on infants, ailing patients and old people of the noise of DJ, journalists earnestly reported the news. In his press reports he  presented his case, that, by not using DJ, GAnpati bhakthi will be of any less value, normal sound system suffices to sing songs of bhajan etc.

He instructed Police force  to strictly bar use of DJ sound system. ON his instructions, Raichur SP Chetan Singh Rathod, instructed the DJ owners from outside Raichur, if you brings it to Raichur, you will not be allowed to take it back. 

Meanwhile, Senthil invited all the leading mandals and religious gurus of Muths to discuss use of DJ. The campaign against DJ in news paper , media and word of mouth, was successful.    The muth chiefs, like, Kille Brahnamath Shanthamalla, Shivacharya Swami, themselves speaking against DJ music in religions congregation. That year DJ was fully banned in Raichur.

“ Common people are against this noise pollution, but 10% powerful people over take the opinion of 90% ordinary citizens,  . It our duty to stand up to this lobby, but it was not possible without you media’s active participation. It was not an easy task for us to convince these rightist groups. Your media reports created awareness about the noise pollution” Senthil confessed in closed door meeting with journalists.

*****

In 2015 there was a demonstration against killing of researcher M.M.Kalburgi.    A representation to the Assistant Commissioner was submitted demanding inquiry to find out whether it was  a handiwork of Shri Rama Sene. Chennavira Kanavi, Giraddi Govindraj, Tontadarya Swami, from Gadag were signatories of the representation. Enraged by this representation, Shrirama Sene, called a press conference, and publicly demanded that, there should be an inquiry in to the case, unless police brings forth the evidence that, Shrirama Sene has hand in it, otherwise, Shrirama sene will burn down houses of  Cheeneveera kanavi, Giraddi Govindraj,

In the press conference, Shriram Sene,  in reply to the press question whether they are conducting arms training to their followers without regard to the law of land, sene proudly replied affirmatively, saying, we conduct arms training of handling revolver in Raichur. That reply was sufficient for Senthil to move the law machinery, he phoned senior police officers to arrest the persons who conducted the press conference.

*****.
In year 2016 Raichur  hosted of 82nd Kannada Sahitya Sammelan, and it was conducted very efficiently and the major credit goes to Senthil, that  was first opportunity for me to report on Sahitya Sammelan.

The Welcome committee’s  estimate was that 7000 delegates and 30000 audience may attend the event, the meal was organised accordingly. The audience outnumbered the estimate, and 75000 people attended the event.  Last two days, there were about 80000 and 1,00,000 people  attended the events. I was apprehensive about the chaos may take place if short fall of meal provided for the audience  no such things happened, there was enough food for the gathering  There were some snags, I did not find it important enough to make it in to a news report.  I could understand, if we have unexpected guest arrive at home,, how difficult it is to arrange for meal from nowhere. Here three time of  the number audience expected  landed, it was not easy to handle. Here organisers deftly handled the situation, you have to give them credit for that.

What impressed me  most was the attendees who were non kannadigas and their enthusiasm to be part of the congregation. It is a practice that, whichever district hosts the sammelan, the committee is lead by the District Collector. The fiancé is managed by the treasurer. Here the Senthil was leading as a Collector, he is basically Tamil, he strived day and night, he formed 33 sub committees, it was under his supervision, decided, where the pandals will be located, how meals will be organised, how books will be stacked for display, where the press counter will located, he instructed how far it should be from the main podium, about meal to be provided for the press reporters, he decided everything to the last details. He was told that, there is problem of internet connection from the press counter and also from the main podium, He immediately instructed state  government  techys to look in to the matter and assigned them the work to smoothen the internet connections, though the internet connection was not in order , that was a different matter altogether. I was impressed with his dedication to carry out the kannada literary festival though he was a Tamil.

Here I specially mention, Chetan Singh RAthod, SP, though he is from North India, he was success full in managing the crowd thronged to the conference.  His management was praise worthy, especially security to VVIP, crowd management, traffic management, and overall law order control.

A District Panchayat, CEO Koorma Rao a Telegu man was head of many subcommittees, the main pandal, book display stands, and dining pandals were constructed by Tamilians of the district, food was served by Hindi speaking boys. There were about 3000 volunteers to overlook the conference, and most of them were non kannadigas, who had come from other states. Marwadi funded the cold drinks, curds, and cool water in the procession of 6kms, on which Conference President Baragoor Ramchandrappa presided over, the drinks were served by north Indian boys.

Due to withdrawal of 500 and 1000 notes, there was dearth of cash  in contribution from the industrialists and businessmen. The Collector Senthils wisdom, of accepting the donation in kind instead of the cash was an excellent idea, he accepted free hotel rooms from hotel owners, he accepted the rice from rice mill owners, he convinced the rice mill owners to provide meals to lacs of attendees,. His idea of involving non kannadigas was impressive, MLA, S.R.Reddy from Narayan Peth of Telengana, donated generously, Vishnukanth Boodadi, a Rajasthan origin,  and Telegu man A.Papa Reddy were interesting participation, giving that, it was a conference of unity of languages not alone Kannada sammelan

Few organisation wanted to felicitate Senthil for this successful conduct of the Conference, he refused. But finally convinced by Baragoor Ramachandran personally convinced him to accept the felicitation.  .  It was evident that, senthil never sought the fame or popularity, he while addressing officers and teachers, he always said, that, our works should speak in the community, we should not be seen, our work should be seen.” This I had heard him saying this many a times  in all occasions.

*****

There was an incident in 2015, in village Turvanil,  Taluk Sindhnoor, some 25 daliths including one pregnant woman were attacked by upper caste in their locality with knife, iron rod, bamboo, etc,. The dalith youth of Turvinil, were in contact with Karnataka Janashkhti, and they reported this news, I immediately called Senthil. He without wasting any time, Phoned Chetan Rathod and instructed to register a case, and arrest the culprits.

Some 29 men were arrested under the charges of attempt to murder cases. He personally, with Chetan Rathod, and Mr.Selvamani, Linganoor Assistant Commissioner visited the Turvinul, and consoled the daliths

That is Senthil. No one can find fault in execution of his duty, and unblemished public service record. He stood by the poor and disempowered. He did everything for them as a collector of a district in their interest. He was honest, sincere, intelligent and also efficient.  . He was ever ready to go around all the remote villages to inspect the welfare activities of the region. Usually, on his such tours,  he had mid day meal with school students. If I narrate there are  too many incidents to write down his good work, but now that he has resigned , I have written this just to keep it as a record.

Kumar Buradikatti

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India tried to harvest a huge crop in Kashmir after Shah Faesal’s appointment was seen as a positive change through the Indian spectrum. On daily basis it was being said that Kashmir has a potential to produce men like Shah and by positive media hype Mr. Faesal became a household name in Kashmir. He headed some vital departments in Kashmir province including education and hydro power but being a topper in IAS was his achievement and a contrivance for India to highlight his character.

On various points he was made a scapegoat by the politicians of PDP-BJP coalition govt. where he openly exemplified his resistance or opposition. Despite the all odds he as an administrator was always acclaimed by the common masses of Kashmir where politicians merely invite a praise and trust. After some years of service he left Kashmir and joined a reputed university in USA (Harvard) for further studies.

Back home in Kashmir the situation was worsening day by day and innocent killings at the hands of uniformed men were a routine. Shah Faesal, recently wrote on a wall of a famous social media platform that Harvard changed his mind set vis-a-vis Kashmir issue. But it is not only Harvard university which helped Mr Faesal to understand the Kashmir issue, last year he took to social media where he openly called India a “Rapistan”, (Patriarchy + Population+ Illitracy + Alcohal = Rapistan) after reacting to a news item, “Porn addict rapes 46 year old mom in Gujrat. On this juncture he was issued a show cause notice by his bosses in the New Delhi. Then again he went a step forward on the controvercy of repealing the Article 35A of the Indian constitution; he threatened Indian state with his harsh words that repealing article 35A of the constitution would end Jammu and Kashmir’s relationship with rest of the country. He compared this very article with a marriage deed (nikahnama). Even he dared India that if this article gets repealed then the relationship is over and there will remain nothing to be discussed further, despite having a special regard with the integrity and sovereignty of Indian state Shah Faesal suggested Indian politicians that the JK’s special status must not be touched at all because it keeps no threat to the integrity and sovereignty of India. In 2017 the mob lynching episodes in India, where Hindu fanatics attacked Muslims to death could not silence Mr. Faesal, he very often criticized the Indian govt’s approach towards these incidents and beyond any doubt these intolerable happenings also changed the mindset of Mr. Topper regarding the Indian politics. On such basis he was even called as an anti national person but being a govt. servant he was made silent on regular basis.

It is a fact that time decides everything and it has its own course, a couple of years ago Mr. Faesal argued with open heart that Kashmiris have no choice but to go back to the drawing board and see what went wrong and at the same time advocated Indian supremacy. He even advised fellow Kashmiris not to hope against the might of the state. It is the nature of Kashmir conflict which has a potential of changing the mindset of people. Shah Faesal advocated India and tried to refurbish the decaying bridge between India and Kashmir by suggesting separatist camp to windup their business of false hope and macabre heroism and to find a dignified exit. Mr. Faesal is an intellectual and has a hold on conflict studies across the world, he must be well aware of the fact that conflicts involve the parties easily but not let them go with alleviation and betterment.

After witnessing a continuum of innocent killings Shah Faesal recently got a dignified exit from the post of India’s highest civil administrative service. He is now free to live his life with the highest percentage of dissent. Now he is not an advocate of any integration theory because all such theories have fallen apart. What he was earlier is not now; now India and Kashmir both have new images in his mind. Now saffronization, intolerance and rising hatred in India has planted new seeds in his character, he is now totally intolerable to the unabated killings in Kashmir   at the hands of Indian forces. Conscience needs simply a drop of nectar to wake up and any time one can comprehend the whole scenario around him. Leaving an affluent and esteemed service is not a good job because it is a position which allows you to deliver the goodness to the needy masses but witnessing bloodshed with mum is simply the nature of callousness.

What if Mr. Shah Faesal joins the pro India politics at this juncture? It is a fact that people who remain in power in Kashmir doesn’t lead the aspirations of the people and who lead the aspirations are always out of power that too languishing in torture centers or jails. We have seen that after a good turnout in polls, India highlights that for its benefits   and make that equivalent to the UN resolutions. People here vote and elect the local governments for their basic necessities (Road, Water and Electricity) as even claimed by the major political figures of the state. Question is, if little developments happening here can be done by the bureaucracy working under the governor installed by the center then what is the fun of having a local elected government. Prior to the polling we have witnessed a trend that politicians are selling the dreams of high value but once acquiring the power continues the detested legacy of betrayal. First the local politicians of Kashmir distance themselves from the Kashmir issue and seek pro people dimensions because they know advocating India directly during polls will hamper their victory. But after managing victory their tone of deliverance changes at once and they start following the directions of New Delhi whole heartedly. This goes in reverse as the peoples will gets a massive set back by their betrayal. Very recently when Mustafa Kamal of National Conference was lecturing against the New Delhion TV shows his brother Dr. Farooq advised him to keep mum because bosses in Delhi weren’t happy with his anti India approach and they will create hindrances in his win from Pattan assembly segment. What does this signify? Can’t any one from pro-India political camp speak like that? Mehbooba also during her initial political carrier high jacked the peoples will and time proved her nature recently when she tied the knot with saffron brigade. Now International affairs have shown us that day to day governance shall not hostage the aspirations of common masses and it also revealed the facts that under heavy militarization no democracy can sprout because occupation by force will not allow you to show your dissent at any case. Militarization calibrates a pre defined boundaries for you and you have to be bound by the set norms if you try to hop up then your wings are not your own.

Ishaq Begh is a Kashmir based political analyst Email: ishaqbeghkullar@gmail.com

Courtesy: https://countercurrents.org/
 

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Faesal, a 2010-batch IAS officer, was the first Kashmiri to top the civil services examination held by the Union Public Services Commission, or UPSC. His appointment was then seen to reflect the changing mindset of Kashmiris.

Image Courtesy: Hindustan Times

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To Shri Depinder Singh Dhesi IAS,  Chief Secretary, Govt of Haryana.

Dear Chief Secretary,

We write to draw your attention to an urgent problem.

Over the last one month, Friday namaaz offered by the Muslim community in open spaces have been attacked and disrupted at several locations in Gurgaon district. These attacks have been organised by a dozen or so organisations (including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal, Hindu Kranti Dal, Gorakshak Dal, Hindu Jagaran Manch and Shiv Sena) that have come together under the umbrella of the Hindu Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti.

The attacks are coordinated, violent and clearly designed to terrorise and intimidate and are taking place across the district. Last Friday a group of hoodlums arrived in four jeeps at a namaaz venue on MG Road and started shouting abusive and provocative slogans at the assembled namaazis. Although a police force was present, it took no action to stop the sloganeering and threats. On the contrary, the police asked the namaazis to disperse. At a namaaz in Sector 40, the Imam who was leading the prayers was pushed to the ground. People who came for the prayers had no option but to fold up their mats and leave.

Earlier this month, similar attacks by vigilante groups claiming to be Hindutva activists forced people to abandon Friday prayers in the customary venues in Sector 53, Kataria Chowk, Unitech Cyber City, Sector 40, Sector 10 and Wazirabad village. It is noteworthy that in all these cases, the police stood by and did nothing to prevent the attackers from disrupting the namaaz. It is equally noteworthy that there was not a single incident of retaliation or even confrontation by the namaazis.

We have also seen a gradual intensification of hate-mongering and allegations against the Muslim community in supposedly upmarket colonies. In Palam Vihar some years ago, a large derelict plot owned by the MCG where Muslims have been gathering for Ramzan prayers for the last several years was dug up and flooded to prevent the prayers. Residents were told that this was being done to prevent the entry of anti-socials from neighbouring villages who were posing a threat to women’s safety.

Friday Namaaz has been offered at all these venues continuously for the last several years without any trouble. There may indeed be traffic snarls at some of these places but dealing with these is the responsibility of the administration.

The Hindu organisations who are responsible for these attacks are misleading people and inciting hatred against Muslims on the basis of several completely unsubstantiated and defamatory allegations – that they are trying to occupy and erect mosques on empty plots, that they are illegal immigrants, that they are raising anti-national slogans, that they are trying to intimidate Hindus with a show of strength on Fridays. The bogey of “unknown outsiders” entering Hindu colonies in the guise of namaazis is also repeatedly being raised.

Most of the people who congregate for public namaaz on Fridays are workers in various industries and informal enterprises who have to find places close to their places of work to offer their prayers. They do not become outsiders simply because they reside in some other sector. Many workers come from other States. Nobody has the right to call them outsiders.

Concerned at this ugly development, citizens of Gurgaon held a meeting today. The meeting was attended by around a hundred people from several religious communities. The consensus was to avoid confrontation and to trust that the administration will solve the problem. It was decided that a delegation of senior people should meet the Deputy Commissioner to urge him to take action before the situation goes out of control. Some citizens volunteered to be physically present on Fridays at some of the namaaz venues to show solidarity with the worshippers and to offer satyagraha if they find the administration inactive or collusive with the attackers.

The statement issued by the Honourable Chief Minister on the 6th of May, although on expected lines is most unfortunate. Muslims cannot be asked to offer prayers at home or in mosques. Workers have to spend the day outside their homes. Does this mean that they cannot exercise their religious rights? It is ridiculous to expect Friday prayers to be organised only in mosques when there are only 60 mosques in the district and only 20 in the city of Gurgaon. If Hindus can organise their Bhagavati Jagaran, Navratra gtherings and Durga Pujas freely in public spaces, where is the rationale for preventing Muslims from offering prayers in open fields?

The Honourable Chief Minister sees this issue as a problem of law and order. But that is not all. His government and the administration also has the responsibility to ensure the right of all citizens to practise their religion – a right guaranteed by the Constitution. A clarification was later issued saying that open prayers can go on if no one objects. This is not going to help when every effort is being made to incite the local people into objecting. Misinformation is being spread through social media and leaflets. People who have allowed the use of their property for Friday prayers are being threatened into withdrawing permission.

As the Chief Secretary of the State you are in a position to provide responsible leadership to the district administration while at the same time ensuring that the Chief Minister is fully and properly briefed on the situation. We rely on you to do your best to ensure that the vigilante groups are brought under control and prevented from doing any further harm. We need hardly add that such vigilantism, unless immediately arrested, will seriously hurt the reputation of Gurgaon as an investment destination as well as its cosmopolitan image.

Copies of this letter are being endorsed to the Home Secretary and the DGP.

Yours faithfully,
Sundar Burra IAS(Retd) Former Secretary, Govt of Maharashtra
Dr M A Ibrahimi IAS(Retd) Former Chief Secretary(Rank), Govt of Bihar
Harsh Mandar IAS(Retd) Govt of Madhya Pradesh
Amitabha Pande IAS(Retd) Former Secretary, Inter-State Council, GoI
Venkatesh Ramani IAS(Retd) Former Director General YASHADA, Govt of Maharashtra
K Sujatha Rao IAS(Retd) Former Health Secretary, GoI
Aruna Roy IAS(Resigned)
Krishna Sahai IRS(Retd) Former Commissioner of Income Tax
Umrao Salodia IAS(Retd) Former Chmn Rajasthan Rd Transport Corpn
EAS Sarma IAS(Retd) Former Secretary DEA, Min of Finance, GoI
Ardhendu Sen IAS(Retd) Former Chief Sec Govt of West Bengal

This article was first published on kafila.online.

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दरअसल संस्कृति विभाग ने राज्य के 23 मेंदिरों के जीर्णोद्धार के लिए अनुसूचित जातियों और जनजातियों के कल्याण कोष से 27 करोड़ रुपये देना का एक प्रस्ताव भेजा था। जिसे पर अनुसूचित जनजाति विभाग के प्रमुख सचिव ने विरोध जताया था। इस वजह से सोमवार को बजरंग दल के लोगों ने आईएएस अधिकारी अशोक शाह के घर को घेरने की कोशिश की और उनके खिलाफ नारे भी लगाए। बंजरग दल का आरोप है कि शाह ने मंदिरों के जीर्णोद्धार में बाधा डालने का काम किया है।
 
पुलिस ने बजरंग दल के कार्यकर्ताओं को आईएएस अधिकारी के घर से कुछ दूरी पर रोंक लिया। यह विरोध प्रदर्शन शाह को डराना करने के उद्देश्य से किया गया था। राज्य सचिवालय के एक वरिष्ठ आईएएस अधिकारी ने पुलिस की भूमिका पर सवाल उठाते हुए कहा कि जब पुलिस को पहले से प्रदर्शन की जानकारी थी तो फिर क्यो बजरंग दल के कार्यकर्ताओं को विरोध करने की अनुमति दी गई।

वहीं बजरंग दल के जिला संयोजक लोकेन्द्र मालवीय ने कहा कि, उन्होंने यह प्रदर्शन शाह द्वारा एक समाचार पत्र को दिए गए बयान की वजह से किया गया था। मालवीय के अनुसार शाह ने कहा था कि हनुमान अनुसूचित जनजाति के भगवान नहीं है। हम इस तरह के बयान कैसे बर्दाश्त कर सकते हैं? उनके इस बयान से पूरे समुदाय की भावनाओं को आहत पहु्ंचा है।'

Courtesy: National Dastak
 

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