Srinagar: A growing number of government employees in Jammu & Kashmir say they are being harassed by anonymous or fake complaints made via unverified emails, SMS, and social media handles, even after such complaints are found to be baseless during verification.
Details available with JKNS revealed that many government employees get harassed after departments act on complaints that are fake in nature.
“I was dragged into a three-week-long inquiry over a fake complaint from an unknown email ID. Though I was cleared, the damage to my dignity was already done,” said a government employee posted in a rural block of central Kashmir.
The harassment continues despite repeated directives from the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and the J&K Government instructing departments not to act on such complaints without verification. In its Circular No. 07/11/2014, reaffirmed by Circular No. 12/09/2020, the CVC clearly stated that no action should be taken on anonymous or pseudonymous complaints.
Another employee from Srinagar said, “They often create fake email IDs, file false complaints, and then delete those addresses. The government must take strict action against such fake complaints by verifying the identity of these email senders through cyber police.”
Likewise, the J&K Government’s June 2024 directive, issued by the General Administration Department, directed that false and frivolous complaints must be dealt with sternly, even allowing prosecution under Section 182 IPC or civil suits for damages.
“They send false complaints from temporary numbers or fake IDs and disappear,” said another government employee in South Kashmir’s Anantnag, “Even when the complaint is found to be fake, we are still made to go through stressful verification rounds.”
Employees posted in revenue, health, education, and rural development departments say the fear of being framed in false complaints has slowed down decision-making. “I held a revenue file for 10 extra days because the last time, I was falsely accused after issuing a certificate,” said a senior government official from north Kashmir.
The June 2024 government order also called for support mechanisms for employees facing such complaints, including the right to seek compensation for defamation and legal support from the Department of Law, Justice & Parliamentary Affairs.
Many government employees say there should be a centralised filtering system to screen complaints before any action is initiated. “We are not against genuine whistleblowing but these fake email IDs and SMS attacks are just tools of vengeance,” said a head clerk in Pulwama. “There must be a mechanism to verify source authenticity first.”
“We support transparency, but not witch-hunting,” another employee said, adding that the threat of anonymous targeting has created a climate of hesitation and mistrust.
Another employee poated in one of the government department in Budgam said, “I was accused through a fake SMS with no sender ID. Though the complaint was dismissed after verification, I was made to attend multiple inquiry rounds. It felt like punishment for doing my job. ”
The employees say unless the existing orders from the CVC and the UT Government are implemented in both letter and spirit, the menace of false complaints will continue to choke administrative delivery and morale on the ground. (JKNS)
