Due to harassment and not being noticed or traced, the government employees dress code has changed, by wearing pajamas and slippers sheepishly move out. Choosing their dress code carefully employees dress up themselves facing a double edged sword, on one hand government forces them to attend their duties and on the other hand they are asked to support the movement by abstaining from their duties. Both way they are crushed, mental phobia has engulfed them, one employee said that authorities are doing diktats of no work no pay, and have openly announced that those who don’t attend their duties their salaries would not be disbursed. Many employees have stayed away from their duties in such prevailing conditions. Many employees attend their duties by going to offices on alternate days, or taking turns to attend the offices, the discreet strategy of not being noticed by protesters have been adopted by employees. Many employees who hold officer level posts, pass from localities sheepishly avoiding protesting areas and public gaze to reach to their offices.
An employee said, that in two months I have gone to office only twice, as I reside in downtown, it is not easy to reach, as people are getting killed and due to restrictions also. Except health employees, no other wants to be get noticed. Such scenes are similar in civil secretariat, DC office, Tehsil Headquarters, High Court, Lower courts and other government offices, he further said ministers carry a posse of security men with them and are not able to come out of their residences and most are staying in Jammu. Even though they are being harassed and attacked by stone pelters.
Mostly employees who live near the vacinities go to the offices on alternate days or take turns, that too on foot and without their vehicles. Many employees said, we attend the offices, they do attendance and return home early, a faculty member of one of the offices said, who wished not to be named for the fear of reprisal, on both sides sword is on our necks.
Earlier separatists had asked Deputy Commissioners to desist from calling employees on phones and pressurizing them to report to their duties.
Even yesterday Hizb-ul-Mujahideen in their recent vedio, had categorically warned the employees to follow the resistance calender, and not to go against it, they mostly targeted civil secretariat, DC offices, Tehsil Headquarters and other important offices.
While on one hand security forces don’t accept our cards as curfew passes and on the other hand protestors and youths snatch our identity cards, and harass us, not to attend the offices, or be ready to bear the consequences. Where we will go, the employee said, we are sandwiched between the sword of resistance and the government.
The views presented in this article are the Author’s own, and does not in anyway depict the views of the Kashmir Digest. This is an Op Ed.
Syed Abadi Hamdani
Freelance Writer
Writes on Social, Economical and Environmental Issues.