Srinagar: Pulwama MLA and PDP leader Waheed Para slammed the order directing teaching and non-teaching staff employed under the school education department to refrain from criticising government policies on social media, saying it stops people from “raising their voices”.
Para has hit out at the government for issuing the order, and said it should be revoked.
“In an already numb Jammu and Kashmir, this order by the J-K govt’s education dept warning teachers and govt staff against raising their voices, is deeply concerning. A govt that came to power on the promise of giving people a voice is now contributing to silencing the few remaining ones in Jammu and Kashmir,” Para said in a post on X.
He also posted a copy of the circular on his handle.
He said the J-K government had earlier informed the Assembly that it is drafting a new media policy aimed at regulating digital platforms, including social media and news websites, “following the much-criticised 2020 New Media Policy formulated by the BJP”. It was approved under by the administration of the Lt Governor, a central government nominee.
It was widely condemned by journalists, civil society groups and political leaders for its authoritarian undertones, said Para, the MLA from Pulwama. “This order must be immediately revoked,” he added.