Srinagar, Feb 20: A forest official of the Langate forest division in north Kashmir came under fire on Tuesday after he suspended an employee and referred to him as a “shepherd” for wearing a traditional Pheran during night duty hours. The incident happened in the Forest Range Mawar in north Kashmir’s Handwara town of Kupwara district.
The officer received criticism for referring to the employee as a shepherd. He subsequently sought an apology from the public and issued a corrigendum to his order.
An order issued by the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Langate reads, “During my surprise inspection of Forest Check-post Langate on 17.02.2024 at 12:25 pm, one forest official, namely Bashir Ahmad Dobhi, Forest Guard, was found wearing a pheran and appeared like a shepherd. The territorial forest officials are part of a disciplined force and are always duty-bound to wear proper dress code while performing their duties at sensitive postings.”
“Therefore, pending departmental enquiry, Shri Bashir Ahmad Dobhi, Forest Guard, is hereby placed under suspension and attached to the Range Office Rafiabad with immediate effect. The Range Officer Mawar shall make internal arrangements in place of the suspended official until suitable staff is posted at the said check-post,” the order further stated.
Soon after the order went viral, it received widespread criticism from politicians as well as the common people. Some users wrote that referring to individuals as shepherds implies they are sub-human, while others demanded the suspension of the officer who issued such an order.
Showket Hussain Pandit, a social and political activist from Langate, said, “Pheran is our identity, and we are proud of it. No one has the right to question our tradition. Calling a man a shepherd is an insult to that person, and the officer must respect every caste.”
Facing backlash, the officer apologized to the public and issued a corrigendum to his order, which reads, “The word ‘shepherd’ inadvertently crept in and is hereby expunged from the records, as mentioned in Forest Order No.43 of 2023-24 dated 17.02.2024 issued under endorsement No. DFO/LGT/Estt./2023-24/3628-32 Dated 17.02.2024. Further, the Range Officer Mawar is directed to expedite his inquiry report on the matter within five days for taking appropriate action as warranted under the rules in this regard.”
