West Bengal government issues orders prohibiting officials to speak to media

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in West Bengal has issued an order prohibiting government officials and police from speaking to the media.

The circular titled Dissemination of Information by any member of the All India Service, West Bengal Civil Service, West Bengal Police Service and other employees working under the Government of West Bengal directs a complete prohibition “without any government order, on any direct or indirect communication of any document or information with the press by the members of the services”.

The government order also directs a complete prohibition on members of the services in indulging in any adverse criticism of any policy or decision of the Central or the State government as well as complete prohibition on any publication, interaction, utterance, publication, broadcast, contribution in any media, which can lead to straining of the relations of the State government with the Central government or any State governments.

The government notification dated May 19, comes ten days after the BJP government led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari was sworn in by West Bengal Governor R.N. Ravi. This is the first BJP government in West Bengal which was elected to power on the promise of clean administration and transparent bureaucracy.

Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee shared the circular on social media and said, that the phrase ‘complete prohibition’ echoing through this circular like a warning ”not to protect governance, but to enforce silence upon Govt employees across Bengal”.

“No speaking to the press. No writing articles. No participating in media programs. No criticism of the Centre or State government. No expression that may strain relations with Delhi. Under@BJP4India‘s remote-controlled governance,” he said.

The Trinamool leader said that under the BJP rule “silence is now an administrative requirement” and when a government cannot tolerate criticism, it starts crushing dissent.

“This shocking circular is not about discipline, it is about curtailing free expression and systematically choking fundamental rights to ensure absolute obedience to the masters sitting in Delhi,” Mr. Banerjee said, describing the development as “strangulation of democracy”.