In a surprise move, India's public broadcasting agency Prasar Bharati, on Tuesday, issued an order initiating disciplinary action against Doordarshan Kendra's assistant director of programmes R. Vasumathi, in Chennai. The move came a day after the Doordarshan Kendra in Chennai failed to live telecast Prime Minister Narendra Modi's India-Singapore Hackathon 2019 and the IIT convocation event.
Vasumathi has been suspended as per the order issued by Prasar Bharati CEO Sashi Shekhar Vempati. The order, which does not mention the reason for her suspension, said Vasumathi is placed under immediate suspension as per the "Central Civil Services (classification, control and appeal) Rules, 1965". The order further said that she has to be in Chennai during the suspension period and "she shall not leave the headquarters without obtaining the prior permission of the undersigned".
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Sources at the Chennai Doordarshan Kendra, however, said that the action is a result of her failure to live telecast PM Modi's event, even when there was no written or oral instruction from the head office in Delhi. "It is a clear case of wilful insubordination. Things are not the same these days. We all know what will be the consequences in such times. Vasumathi should have anticipated and acted," said a senior officer at the Chennai Doordarshan Kendra. There are also reports that she did not live telecast the event even after she was instructed to do so.
Modi was in Chennai on September 30, to take part in the India-Singapore Hackathon 2019 and delivered a speech in which he praised Tamil language, its heritage and Chennai's culture.
Sources said that immediately after the event, the Prime Minister's Office inquired as to why Doordarshan did not telecast the event live. In fact, Chennai Doordarshan Kendra had not taken the required permission to go live, as it had apparently thought that DD National would go live as it does for all national events, including that of the prime minister.