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| Employee cum journalist appointed as Presiding Officer in Civic Polls in Kashmir | | Unprecedented but astounding development in history of elections | | Jehangir Rashid
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Oct 11: In an unprecedented development the office of Chief Electoral Officer, Jammu & Kashmir appointed an employee of Department of Agriculture who claims to be a full time journalist as Presiding Officer in the civic polls.
The employee who reads news bulletins on Doordarshan Kendra (DDK) Srinagar and Radio Kashmir Srinagar 'misused' his position in order to ensure that he is given the all important responsibility of Presiding Officer. He was given this all important responsibility for a polling station in a volatile area of Srinagar district.
Sources told Early Times that the employee managed to get his entry at the Revenue Training Institute (RTI) Bemina while the other employees were standing in a queue to enter the institute. They said the employee used the tag of one of the public broadcasters while managing his entry into RTI Bemina.
"Over the last so many years the employee has been reading the news bulletins at DDK Srinagar and Radio Kashmir. In the evening of October 9 when the employees deputed for election duty were struggling to enter the RTI this employee misused the tag of a journalist and managed to get in," said sources.
Sources said the employee told the security forces personnel posted at RTI Bemina that he is a journalist and associated with DDK Srinagar. As a result of this the security forces personnel did not stop him and asked him to get inside the institute.
"The employee was appointed as Presiding Officer for one of the polling stations at Parimpora located in the outskirts of Srinagar city. There is no harm in appointing a government official as Presiding Officer but that should not be at the cost of defaming the journalists or misusing the tag of a journalist," said sources.
Sources said that the problem is that a newscaster or newsreader claims to be a journalist and uses the sticker of press on his own vehicle. The employee who is a village agriculture extension assistant has been in news in the past as well but every time he has been shielded by head of the concerned department.
"Khurshid Ahmad Ganai, advisor to Governor Satya Pal Malik has many times wished that the complaints against this particular employee reach his office, but the same has been sabotaged by the Director of the department. The Head of the Department has been providing a cover to this employee since he ensures that the concerned officer gets good coverage at DDK Srinagar and Radio Kashmir, Srinagar in the news bulletins," said sources.
Sources said that there are many other employees who are 'enjoying' on the same lines. A Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) teacher reads bulletins on DDK Srinagar even during the day time and still then gets a pat on the back from the Director concerned. This teacher heads the media cell at Directorate of School Education Kashmir and that too in presence of some persons having a degree in Mass Communication & Journalism. |
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