J&K govt bars staff from criticising its actions, policies on social media

'Violation of these guidelines/rules shall tantamount to misconduct and invite disciplinary action,' the circular adds

Tightening the noose around its employees further, Jammu and Kashmir administration on Friday issued a circular barring its staff from criticising the government, its actions and policies on social media or in the public.

According to a set of rules and guidelines, a government employee can neither criticise nor discuss any government policy or action on social media or blogs. The government has asked deputy commissioners and heads of various departments to take disciplinary action against such employees.

The circular has reiterated the set of guidelines, for use of social media by government employees that were first issued in December 2017 when Mehbooba Mufti was the chief minister of the erstwhile state.

“No Government employee shall post, tweet or share content that is political or anti-secular and communal in nature or subscribe to pages, communities or Twitter handles and blogs of such nature,” the circular issued by Commissioner/Secretary to the Government Sanjeev Verma reads.

“Violation of these guidelines/rules shall tantamount to misconduct and invite disciplinary action against the delinquent official under the relevant rules,” it adds.

The circular reads that it had been observed that government employees often engage themselves on social media platforms in a manner which is in contravention to service and other rules.

“While using different social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or instant messaging applications like WhatsApp and Telegram, the employees have been seen to air disparaging views on subjects that they are expressly barred under rules to comment upon,” it said.

The government circular has instead asked the employee to “remove misapprehensions, correct misstatements, and refute disloyal and seditious propaganda, defend and explain to the public the policy of government in his posts and tweets on social media”

“Further, in case of a violation committed on a group platform, the administrator, if they are serving government/semi-government employees, will also be liable for disciplinary proceedings,” the circular added.

It is, however, clarified that the guidelines are not intended to dissuade employees or departments from using social media for positive and constructive purposes, it said.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti slammed the government and called the circular a ‘complete violation of the fundamental rights of people.’

“Whether it was blacklisting contractors & the social media gag to employees, a clear intimidation of dispossessing people in J&K of their livelihood has emerged. Authorities have become judge, jury & executioner in complete violation of the fundamental rights of people,” she tweeted.