Jammu and Kashmir IAS topper Shah Faesal went public on Tuesday, questioning the government’s disciplinary action against his ‘Rapistan’ tweet, which was trolled by some people in April this year. Bureaucrat Faesal seemed to question the government’s gag order for bureaucrats as well.
In a tweet and Facebook poston Tuesday, Faesal said,
“The irony here is that service rules with a colonial spirit are invoked in a democratic India to stifle the freedom of conscience.”
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. pic.twitter.com/ssT8HIKhIK— Shah Faesal (@shahfaesal) July 10, 2018
The tweet was posted referring to the disciplinary action taken by the Centre against Faesal’s tweet ‘Rapistan’, which was posted in April.
Patriarchy+Population+Illiteracy+Alcohol+Porn+Technology+Anarchy = Rapistan!
— Shah Faesal (@shahfaesal) April 22, 2018
Outspken Shah Faesal was trolled for tweet ‘Rapistan’, which he described as sarcastic, referencing the rape culture in South Asia. However, immediately, the bureaucrat drew sharp attention from the centre in April this year, receiving disciplinary notice for his posts on social media.
The central government had banned officials from criticising the government on social media in 2016. Under these rules, a statement of fact or an opinion which “has the effect of an adverse criticism” of any current or recent policy or action is treated as criticism.
The officer has been frankly voicing his views on various social issues in the country which a government servant is not permitted to do as per the rules quoted by the DoPT.
The state administration department served a notice to the 2010 IAS exam topper after the Department of Personnel and Trainings (DoPT) asked the state to initiate action against Faesal who is presently in the US, pursuing a post graduate course at the Harvard University.
