Ex-bureaucrat steps down from education council

NEWDELHI: A former bureaucrat, who was working with the Delhi government, resigned from the state advisory council on education as a “mark of protest” against the alleged assault on chief secretary Anshu Prakash.

Prakash was allegedly assaulted on Monday night by AAP MLAS when he had gone to attend a meeting at the chief minister’s residence around midnight. Dhir Jhingran, former director of elementary education with the ministry of human resource and development, was one of the 15 members of the council.

Under the Right to Education, Act, 2009, each state is supposed to appoint a council to advise them on education-related matters. Jhingran was one of eight nominated members. There are six ex-officio members and the education minister is the chairperson of the council.

Jhingran, a batch-mate of Prakash from the Indian Administrative Services (IAS), sent his resignation over email to the council.

As a mark of protest and in solidarity with Anshu Prakash, and also not wanting to associate further with a government that treats officers in this manner, I have resigned from membership of the state advisory council for education with effect from February 20,” he said in the letter.

Jhingran later told HT: “I have been in the education sector for 25 years. I have worked in Ministry of HRD and Government of Assam in senior positions as an IAS officer. I really like the work of the AAP government in education. That is why i agreed to be a part of the state advisory council,” he said.

He said the incident shocked him. “I came to know of it around 12 noon on 20th and immediately sent in my resignation to protest about the incident. Anshu Prakash is my batchmate,” he said.

Reacting to Jhingran’s resignation, Atishi Marlena, advisor to deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, told PTI, “It is unfortunate that he was taken in by a false version of events”.