SRINAGAR: In a first such case, PDP-BJP coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir has sacked a government doctor over Facebook post
An official spokesman said services of Registrar of Department of Anaesthesia Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu, Dr Amit Kumar were terminated for anti-government post on Facebook.
He said Kumar was sacked after he violated rules that prevent a government employee from using social media to write anti-government posts.
Kumar had been appointed on September 1, 2017 for three years on contract to serve at the GMC Jammu.
“He used his personal social media account (Facebook) and commented with the intent of provoking readers,” reads the official termination order.
It further states that Kumar had furnished an affidavit at the time of joining as Registrar Anaesthesia, whereupon he had solemnly affirmed and declared that in case of any misconduct or negligence on his part, his engagement shall be terminated.
Kumar is the first government employee to face axe under SRO 525 that bars an employee from writing against the government.
The government in December last year had ordered social media gag for its employees.
It issued the guidelines to regulate the usage of social media by its employees and warned its employees not to engage in any criminal, dishonest, immoral or notoriously disgraceful conduct on social media which may be prejudicial to the government.
The employees and officials were directed not to use their personal social media accounts for any political activity or endorse the posts or tweets or blogs of any political figure and also not to use their accounts in a manner that could reasonably be construed to imply that the government endorses or sanctions their personal activities in any manner whatsoever.
The employees were asked not to post, update, share or promote any status or post that may be contentious or has the potential to create governance or law and order issues or are seen to propogate anything which is anti-social, anti-national or illegal.
The government had invoked J&K service conduct rules and warned its employees that any violation of the directives empowers it to dismiss the erring employees from service, pre-maturely retire them, withhold their promotion or salary increments and even demote them to lower positions.
The employees were told that they must be aware that law enforcement agencies would observe content and information made available by them through social media and they should use their best judgment in posting material that is neither inappropriate nor harmful to the State.