Premium

DM asked to explain why he ‘did not cooperate’ during Speaker Om Birla’s visit to Mussoorie

‘It has been mentioned that the Hon’ble Speaker did not receive the due respect and courtesy befitting his position,’ a letter in this regard states

The letter goes on to say that the DM continued to be non-cooperative and brusque. (Photo/ Sansad TV via PTI Photo)

The Uttarakhand government has sought an explanation from the Dehradun District Magistrate after the office of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla flagged that the DM violated protocol during his visit to Mussoorie on June 12.

According to officials, the secretary of the protocol department, Vinod Kumar Suman, wrote to the DM, Savin Bansal, after the government received two correspondences from the Lok Sabha Secretariat and the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, informing that during Birla’s visit to Dehradun on June 12, attempts were made by the Speaker’s office to contact the DM via phone to obtain necessary information, but an appropriate response was not received.

The letters also mentioned that he was “non-cooperative”. “It has also been mentioned that the Hon’ble Speaker did not receive the due respect and courtesy befitting his position, and that there was a violation of established protocol standards in the entire matter,” the letter by Suman, quoting from the two letters, reads.

He asked Bansal to provide a clear and detailed report on the entire matter to the government immediately.

The letter, dated June 25, quoted letters from the Lok Sabha Secretariat dated June 17 and from the DoPT dated June 19. The letter from the Lok Sabha Secretariat by the Additional Secretary of the Committee of Privileges states that despite repeated calls and relaying of information, the DM did not return the calls. Later, Birla’s office contacted the CM’s office, after which the DM contacted the Speaker’s office.

However, the letter goes on to say that the DM continued to be non-cooperative and brusque. It further stated that the DM was not present to receive and see off the Speaker upon his arrival at the airport in Dehradun. This letter was later taken up by the DoPT, which asked the government to look into it.

Dehradun DM Bansal declined to comment on the matter and said that matter has been discussed.

Aiswarya Raj

Aiswarya Raj is a Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, one of India's most respected media houses, specialising in in-depth coverage of Uttarakhand and the Himalayan region. Her work focuses on delivering essential, ground-up reporting across complex regional issues. Aiswarya brings significant journalistic experience to her role, having started her career at The Indian Express as a Sub-Editor with the Delhi city team. She subsequently developed her reporting expertise by covering Gurugram and its neighboring districts before transitioning to her current focus. She is an accomplished alumna of the prestigious Asian College of Journalism (ACJ) and the University of Kerala. Her reporting is characterized by a commitment to narrative journalism, prioritising the human element and verified facts behind critical events. Aiswarya’s beats demonstrate deep expertise in state politics, law enforcement investigations (e.g., paper leak cases, international cyber scams), human-wildlife conflict, environmental disasters, and socio-economic matters affecting local communities. This specific, sustained focus on critical regional news provides the necessary foundation for high trustworthiness and authoritativeness on topics concerning Uttarakhand. ... Read More

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram