Srinagar: After New Delhi ordered action against Kashmiri IAS officer for his remarks on social media, the outspoken bureaucrat has said that he could lose his job.
“Yes, I could lose my job. But then the world is full of possibilities,” Faesal told News18. “Losing my job is a small risk compared to the magnitude of the debate I’m trying to have.”
On Tuesday, the IAS official went public with the show cause notice and seemed to question the government’s gag order for bureaucrats as well.
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
“Love letter from my boss for my sarcastic tweet against rape-culture in South Asia,” he wrote while sharing a showcase notice. “The Irony here is that service rules with a colonial spirit are invoked in a democratic India to stifle the freedom of conscience.”
In April, the IAS officer had put out the tweet: Patriarchy+Population+Illiteracy+Alcohol+Porn+Technology+Anarchy = Rapistan!
Faesal drew a sharp reaction from some people who saw the reference to “Rapistan” as a reference to India and a contrast to Pakistan.
The 35-year-old bureaucrat is the only IAS officer from Jammu and Kashmir to have ever topped the civil services exam. As a “role model”, the 2011 batch officer inspired many others to join the civil services. He is currently an Edward S Mason Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School on study leave.
