| Orders frisking of officers for cigarettes, tobacco products | | Minister's moral policing; hilarious, humiliating | | Early Times Report
jammu, Sept 22: The forest minister stunned his officers Wednesday when he ordered their frisking to relieve them of their cigarettes and other tobacco products.
Sources informed Early Times that Forest Minister on Wednesday chaired Annual Forest Staff meeting in Sidhra Forest complex, which was attended by Chief Conservator of Forests Roshan Jaggi, Conservators, Divisional Forest Officers, Rangers, Foresters and Guards of Jammu, Kathua, Poonch, Rajouri and Udhampur.
During the conclusion of meeting, sources said that to utter surprise of all officers, The Forest Minister issued a very weird order, asking all the officers to start frisking of their subordinates and extract all types of tobacco, cigarette, Biddi, chewing tobacco or any type of tobacco product and made a pile.
"Though some of the officers were surprised and confused with the order and were feeling humiliation but none dared to object and all officers were searched including Chief Conservator and Conservators, Rangers, Foresters etc", sources said, adding that within minutes a pile of tobacco, cigarette was made and minister delivered a lecture.
He instructed all the officers to eschew use of any type of tobacco products and after a brief speech over the tobacco products and after humiliating the officers, minister ordered to set ablaze the pile of tobacco products.
Sources said that more than fifty percent officers had tobacco products in their pockets, which was extracted by subordinates with little smile on their face.
"No doubt the intentions of our Minister are good as he is against the drug use but such instructions could only be given to small children and not to the officers, some of whom might be older than Minister but didn't dare to raise voice. This is sort of moral policing by the Minister", an officer pleading anonymity said, adding that it was very unfortunate that the respect of forest officers was torn into pieces by Minister in front of field staff.
He further said that in a democratic society, ideas of particular person should not be imposed but must be debated and made acceptable via debate and not forcibly as Minister has been doing. |
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