Rahul Gandhi backs IAS officer Shah Faesal over 'Rapistan' tweet controversy. Here's the Congress president's letter

In a startling development, Congress president Rahul Gandhi has given his full backing to outspoken IAS officer Shah Faesal, who had earlier become embroiled in controversy for issuing a tweet where he had referred to India as 'Rapistan'.

On the official All India Congress Committee (AICC) letterhead, Rahul Gandhi has written to Faesal, against whom the government of India had earlier initiated action.

---

Rahul Gandhi writes:

Dear Faesal,

I write to you in solidarity against the Jammu and Kashmir government's decision to initiate an inquiry for expressing your opinion on the rising incidents of rapes in India.

Our founders envisioned freedom of expression to be a fundamental right for every citizen. This freedom not only allows a nation to introspect on pressing social problems, but also helps us find ways to address them. I feel it is extremely troubling that the government has singled you out for voicing your opinions. It exhibits an insecurity that is unbecoming of any government.

You deserve to be appreciated for identifying and courageously highlighting the issues that plague India. We stand by you in letter and spirit. 

---

Here is the letter:

ACTION INITIATED AGAINST FAESAL:

A week earlier, Shah Faesal, a 2010-batch IAS officer who is the only person from Jammu and Kashmir to have topped the prestigious civil services examination, had tweeted the official letter issued to him:

Here is the original tweet by Faesal where he had referred to India as Rapistan:

The Department of Personnel and Training's letter, forwarded to Faesal by the J&K government's General Administration Department, reads as follows:

"WHEREAS, the Department of Personnel & Training, Government of India has forwarded to this department a copy of communication, along with its enclosures, in which several references have been made by you in your twitter account, in which contents are prima-face in contravention of the extant provisions of All India Service (Conduct Rules), 1968/All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969. Screen-shots of the posts made by you in your twitter account are enclosed;

AND WHEREAS, the Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India has requested the State Government to initiate action against you under provisions of All India (Discipline & Appeal) rules, 1969, and to intimate the action taken to the Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India;

AND WHEREAS, you have allegedly failed to maintain absolute honesty and integrity in discharge of your official duty and thus acted in a manner unbecoming of a public servant';"

OMAR ABDULLAH'S BACKING

JKNC chief Omar Abdullah had also backed Faesal in the matter, tweeting:

"Looks like DOPT is determined to chase @shahfaesal out of the civil services. The last line of this page is shocking & unacceptable where they question Faesal’s “integrity & honesty”. How is a sarcastic tweet dishonest? How does it make him corrupt?"

Faesal has previously served as the Managing Director of the J&K State Power Development Corporation. He is currently on a study leave as a Fulbright scholar in the US. His Twitter handle lists him as a Mason Fellow at Harvard University. 

REPUBLIC'S QUESTIONS TO FAESAL

Republic TV had issued a number of questions to Faesal on Twitter, specifically over whether he would call out the U.S, which is his sponsor during his study leave, after it emerged that as per a 2012 report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the rate of rape in the U.S was stated as being 15 times higher than that of India. Additionally, a U.S-based NGO called RAINN confirmed that every 98 seconds a woman was sexually assaulted in the U.S.

READ | Will Shah Faesal Also Call His Sponsor USA 'Rapistan'? The Data Says He Should

Faesal is yet to reply to Republic TV's questions.

READ | Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad Offers 'new Deal' To Rahul Gandhi Over Women's Reservation Bill Challenge, Clubbing Triple Talaq And Others. Read The Letter Here

The central government had in 2016 banned officials from criticising the government on social media. Under these rules, a statement of fact or an opinion which “has the effect of an adverse criticism” of any current or recent policy or action is treated as criticism. Faesal's tweet had been issued during the country-wide outrage over the horrific Kathua rape and murder and the Unnao rape case