Delhi Chief Secretary, bureaucrats to hold ‘March for Dignity’ today over assault case

However, the joint forum of officials in the administration stuck to their demand that they will resume normal functioning only after Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia tender an apology for the February 19 incident. The forum also released a statement levelling specific allegations against Sisodia, saying the deputy CM made certain “regressive and gender insensitive” remarks against the bureaucracy at a seminar on education on Tuesday, which was skipped by the principal secretary and the director of the education department.

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“The statement given by the deputy chief minister at the national seminar in connection with the secretary and director education is highly regressive and condemnable. Such loose comments regarding the bureaucracy and the current situation are extremely gender-insensitive and reprehensible, especially when coming from the minister of women and child development, a constitutional authority,” the statement said.

The forum thanked Lt Governor Baijal for “fully understanding” and “sympathizing” with the “fears and apprehensions” of the officers. It also acknowledged the attempts by ministers Rajendar Pal Gautam and Kailash Gahot to resolve the impasse.