Daman-Diu Officers Red-faced After Bizarre Rakhi Order Draws Flak

“All lady staff shall tie Rakhis to their colleagues,” the circular read.

Image used for representational purposes. 

(Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

The Daman and Diu administration has issued a bizarre circular that made it mandatory for female staff to tie rakhi to their male counterparts on the occasion of Rakshabandhan.

The circular was retracted within 24 hours, after it recieved flak from employees and social media users alike.

It has been decided to celebrate the festival of Rakshabandhan on 7 August. In this connection, all offices/ departments shall remain open and celebrate the festival collectively at a suitable time wherein all the lady staff shall tie rakhis to their colleagues.

The circular, dated 1 August, also makes it compulsory for all staffers to come in to work on the day of the festival, 7 August, a public holiday. It was issued by the Gurpreet Singh, deputy secretary (personnel), upon the direction of former Gujarat home minister and current Daman and Diu administrator Praful Kodabhai Patel.

A female staffer told the Hindustan Times:

The circular is ridiculous. There are sensitivities involved. How can the government dictate who I should tie <i>rakhi </i>to? We should maintain the professionalism of a workplace.

The circular was withdrawn via a one-liner which repealed the previous order.

(With inputs from Hindustan Times)

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