Entry of over 100 DD officials banned into Srinagar Kendra on I-Day

For 20 years, they had orders to attend; In 2011, they have orders not to attend Tricolour ceremony

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Aug 15: Officiating head of the station, Anuradha Agarwal, banned entry of over 100 officials into the premises of Dooradrshan Kendra Srinagar on occasion of the I-Day on August 14^th and 15^th. While the officials in the last 20 years of insurgency were under strict orders to attend the flag hoisting ceremony at the station on all I-Days and Republic Days, it is for the first time that most of them were directed to stay indoors and not to attend the official ceremony today.

Superintending Engineer, Anuradha Agarwal, has issued Office Note No: DKS-PA-4G/2011 Dated 12-08-2011 in her capacity as ‘Head of Office’ of DDK Srinagar. Prasar Bharti and union Ministry of Information & Broadcasting have not appointed any full-fledged Director for DDK Srinagar after Dr Rafeeq Masoodi’s transfer and lightning departure for New Delhi over a month back. Seniormost official, Superintending Engineer Mrs Agarwal, has been functioning as Head of Office and Deputy Director Shami Shair as incharge of Programme section as an ad hoc arrangement.

In her order, a copy of which is available with Early Times, Mrs Agarwal has directed Security Officer and Dy SP of CRPF to allow nobody other than 88 officials into the premises on Aug 14^th and 15^th. She has not cited any reasons. Surprisingly, those banned to enter include all three of the Deputy Directors, namely Shami Shair, Zeeshan Fazil and Qayoom Wadera, besides Director of News Bashir Malik who is senior to the three in grade but junior to Mrs Agarwal. Only two of the Programme Executives, namely Mohammad Yusuf Parray and Mufti Riyaz, were allowed to enter.

More surprisingly, 88 officials allowed to enter include as many as 24 casual workers who have no service accountability in the organisation.

Since copies of the ‘Order’ had not been served on the officials, nor were any pasted on the notice board, all of the DDK Srinagar officials, as usual, reached the station. Most of them learned about the orders when they were turned back on Saturday. As per a 40-year-long practice, all DDK officials attend I-Day and R-Day flag hoisting ceremony at the station. Absence at such a national occasion would make integrity of an official suspect.

Sources said that scores of DDK officials were turned from the main entrance under orders of the incharge Head of Office today. Head of Programmes, Shami Shair had reportedly stayed inside the station since Saturday itself. 

No official vehicles were sent today to pick up DDPs, Qayoom Wadera and Zeeshan Fazil. However, both managed to reach the station “for fear of being labeled as  anti-national elements”. “We perceived the ban on entry as a conspiracy to keep us away from the national day function and thus complain to headquarters that we had boycotted the flag hoisting on I-Day”, Wadera as well as Fazil told Early Times on telephone. Both of them quarreled with the security officers at the entrance when they were told that their entry had been banned. “After a great deal of arguments and quarreling like children we forced our entry into the station”, they added.

Zeeshan Fazil narrated how hard it was for him to cross dozens of security points while driving to DDK Srinagar in his private car. He said he was allowed to pass on as a number of security and Police staff recognized him by his familiar television face.

For Wadera, journey to his office was all the more pathetic and humiliating. “Two days back, I had been appointed as overall head of transmission on the I-Day. Surprisingly, I learned about the ban when I called the driver in the morning today”, said Wadera who can not drive a vehicle as he has broken his ankle a month back. “I implored driver of an Army vehicle to give me lift. He picked me from Barzullah and dropped me around Bakshi Stadium. Thereafter, I was given lift by three private vehicle drivers till I reached my office”, he said.

Wadera said that it was after heated exchange with Security that he forced his entry into the station. “We in DD are the biggest town-criers of restoration of peace and normality in Kashmir. How shameful it is that we too are subjected to this humiliation under the excuse of security interests?” Wadera, who has been posted in his hometown after serving in Delhi for 25 years, asked.

Mrs Agarwal was not reachable for her comments.

END