The Karnataka government on Saturday issued a show-cause notice to Indian Administrative Services Officer Mohammad Mohsin over a tweet praising Tablighi Jamaat members, who have recovered from Covid-19, for donating their plasma, PTI reported.
The officer had been briefly suspended during the Lok Sabha elections last year for trying to inspect Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s chopper on his visit to Odisha, where he was posted as a poll observer.
In a tweet last month, Mohsin had hailed members of the Islamic sect as heroes. “More than 300 Tablighi Heroes are donating their plasma to serve the country in New Delhi only,” he had written on Twitter, according to PTI. “What about Godi Media? They will not show the works of humanity done by these heroes.”
The state government said Mohsin violated the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968, and asked him to submit an explanation for his comment within five days. He has been warned of action as per the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969 if he fails to submit his reply before the deadline. “The adverse coverage this tweet has got in the media has been taken note of seriously by the government, given the serious nature of COVID-19 and the sensitivities involved,” the notice read.
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“The Karnataka government has made it clear that it would not hesitate to act even against powerful functionaries if their actions are damaging to the harmony in the state at a time when all are united in fighting Covid-19,” an unidentified bureaucrat told the news agency.
Reacting to the notice, Mohsin said that he has been actively sharing helpline numbers and government information about Covid-19 on social media. “I have shared no less than 40 or 50 posts about helpline numbers to Covid-19 messages from the government and Ministry of Health, including those for appeals for the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund,” he said, according to NDTV.
The Tablighi Jamaat had held a congregation in Delhi’s Nizamuddin locality in March, which was attended by thousands of Indians and hundreds of foreigners. Many also fanned out across the country to recruit people after this, raising concerns about the scale of the potential spread of infection at the conference. The religious gathering had emerged as a coronavirus hotspot, with a link to over 1,000 coronavirus cases across the country. The religious congregation had led to stigmatisation and vilification of the Muslim community in India.
Also read:
- ‘Fighting this in the dark,’ says IAS officer suspended for checking Modi’s chopper in Odisha
- Modi chopper controversy: Odisha election observer’s suspension is put on hold
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