IAS officer Ashok Parmar has filed a complaint with the National Scheduled Caste Commission
Srinagar:
A senior IAS official has alleged that the government of the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory has committed harassment and harassment because of his Dalit caste.
The officer, a chief secretary, who has been transferred five times in the past year, has alleged conspiracy against him. The opposition has demanded an impartial investigation into the allegations.
Ashok Parmar, an IAS officer from Gujarat from 1992, has filed a complaint with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes alleging harassment, threats and harassment by the J&K government after exposing the massive irregularities in Jal Shakti Department.
The officer has also written a letter to the Union Home Secretary claiming the same. He fears that the government will falsely associate him.
In the letters, Mr. Parmar claims he was kicked out of two high-level meetings and humiliated in front of other officers.
Mr. Parmar, who was part of the central deputation, was repatriated to the AGMUT cadre in March 2022. He was subsequently appointed as Chief Secretary of Irrigation and Flood Management.
On May 5, 2022, he was transferred to Department Chief Secretary Jal Shakti. According to Mr Parmar, after blowing up the scams in the department, he was transferred to the ARI and training department within months.
On July 18, he was transferred to Skills Development. Within two weeks he was transferred again on 1 August and appointed chairman of the J&K Public Sector Companies Bureau.
During his tenure as Chief Secretary of ARI (Administrative Reform, Inspectorate and Education) Mr. Parmar broke the convention and started visiting different districts and also launched investigations against different departments.
Allegations of corruption at the highest level within J&K have finally taken hold. When an IAS officer confirms the rot in the system at the top, it indicates the serious risks he has taken in exposing it. Instead of punishing the perpetrators responsible for the Rs 3,000 crore tampering in the Jal Jeevan scheme, a sincere officer should suffer,” Ms Mufti wrote on X.
Omar Abdullah, national conference and former J&K chief minister, has demanded an impartial investigation.
“The allegations are serious enough to warrant an impartial investigation, but we know that will never happen. Unfortunately, the news media has completely ignored this story. They are too busy chasing Ms World and other fluff stories. the fear of being summoned to police stations has effectively silenced what was once a vibrant free(ish?) press in J&K,” said Mr. Abdullah.
