Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): At a time when the Jammu and Kashmir government is trumpeting about “empowering” tribals in the union territory, a top Forest Department official has landed in the soup after issuing an apparently casteist order over the suspension of a Forest Guard in frontier Kashmir's Kupwara district. Under fire, the Department has issued a corrigendum over the matter expunging the objectionable words.
Divisional Forest Officer Langate, Ihzaz Pajwari is in the eye of a storm about his order over the suspension of Forest Guard Bashir Ahmad Dobhi issued on Feb 17, Saturday. “During my surprise inspection of Forest Check-post Langate on 17.02.2024 at 12:25 pm one forest official namely Bashir Ahmad Dobhi, Forest Guard was found wearing pheran and looking like a shepherd,” reads the order issued by DFO Langate.
“The territorial forest officials are part of a disciplined force and are always duty bound to wear proper dress code while performing their duties at sensitive postings. Therefore, pending departmental enquiry Shri Bashir Ahmad Dobhi, Forest Guard is hereby placed under suspension attached with Range Office Rafiabad with immediate effect. The Range Officer Mawar shall make an internal arrangement in place of the suspended official till suitable staff is posted in the said check-post,” it adds.
The particular clause in the order equating the Forest Guard with the shepherds in a negative manner led to an uproar with netizens calling out the DFO over his casteist order. Former Chief Minister and PDP President Mehbooba Mufti slammed the order she said smacked of prejudice tawards the traditions.
"Langate’s Divisional Forest officer has suspended Bashir Ahmed -a forest guard for wearing a pheran. The subsequent order smacks of prejudice towards our traditions by deriding him for ‘looking like a shepherd’. Are shepherds sub human? Insensitive & arrogant. Hope local admin takes action immediately," Mehbooba said in a post on X.
When contacted over the matter, DFO Langate Ihzaz Pajwari told ETV Bharat that he did not mean to insult the community and offered an apology to the shepherd community. He said that a corrigendum has been issued in which the particular objectionable words have been expunged.
