Kupwara: District Election Officer has attached District Youth Services and Sports Officer Kupwara Ghulam Hassan Sheikh for “misleading” the election conducting authorities by a making false communication regarding attaching of an official vehicle and parking the same in the premises of his relatives in the north Kashmir district.
The officer, who also faces allegations of nepotism and adjusting his relatives in recently conducted selection of Rehbar-e-Khel, has been ordered to remain attached with the office of Deputy District Election Officer Kupwara with immediate effect.
Anshul Garg (IAS), Deputy Commissioner (District Election Officer) Kupwara has also asked Additional Deputy Commissioner Kupwara to conduct a “thorough enquiry” and furnish the report within 15 days.
The DEO underlined that vehicles of different departments were attached with District Election Office vide order (No:-DCK/PS/2019/27/871-75) on March 22 for conduct of General Lok Sabha Elections and the officers of District were impressed upon to realize the sensitivity for conduct of Elections smoothly and render their full cooperation for accomplishment of the election process.
“District Youth Services & Sports Officer Kupwara has been found evading the orders of this office by not complying with the order and instead has tried to mislead the authorities by forwarding a communication with regard to the attachment of vehicle by the office of Director Youth Services & Sports,” reads the order by the DEO.
He said based on information that the delinquent officer has parked the official vehicle at the residence of one of his relatives at Bumhama Kupwara, a team of officials was deputed who later traced the vehicle. “Photographic evidence in this respect has been recorded.”
The officer in order to escape identification of the vehicle had removed its rear side number plate and according to the DEO the act amounts to “malafide on part of the officer.”
“This behavior of willful negligence towards the compliance of official orders tantamount to dereliction of official duties and violation of instructions of Election Commission of India,” the DEO said and ordered the inquiry “into the misconduct and dereliction of duties shown by the officer.”
According to the sources, the District Youth Services and Sports Officer has been disregarding or delaying the orders of the higher-ups routinely. Referring to an instance, sources said that he ignored the directions by the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir’s order, seeking a report regarding the selection of Rehber-e-Khel in Drugmulla zone of the district.
Pertinently, a number of relatives of the officials and officers working in the District Youth Services and Sports department were selected while meritorious and deserving candidates were thrown out by conferring excessively high marks to the blue-eyed candidates. (GNS)
