SRINAGAR: Congress president Rahul Gandhi has come out in support of the 2009 batch IAS officer of the Jammu and Kashmir cadre, Shah Faesal, for “courageously highlighting” the issues that plague India.

In his letter to Faesal, Rahul Gandhi wrote: “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.”

In April this year, the IAS officer, who topped the UPSC civil services examination in 2009, had posted on Twitter: “population + patriarchy + illiteracy + alcohol + porn + technology + anarchy = rapistan”.

“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 (Faesal) out for voicing an opinion, which exhibits an insecurity that is unbecoming of any government,” he said in his letter.

“We stand by you in letter and spirit,” Rahul wrote.

Earlier, after New Delhi ordered action against the Kashmiri IAS officer for his remarks on social media, Faesal reiterated his stand and said that he may lose his job but would continue to say whatever he feels about the social issues in the country.

“Yes, I could lose my job. But then the world is full of possibilities. Losing my job is a small risk compared to the magnitude of the debate I’m trying to have,” Faesal had said.

Last week, Faesal went public with the show cause notice and question the central government’s gag order even for bureaucrats. “Love letter from my boss for my sarcastic tweet against rape-culture in South Asia,” he wrote while sharing a showcase notice. “The Irony here is that service rules with a colonial spirit are invoked in a democratic India to stifle the freedom of conscience.”

The 35-year-old bureaucrat is the only IAS officer from Jammu and Kashmir to have ever topped the civil services exam. Faesal is currently on Edward S Mason Fellowship at Harvard Kennedy School on study leave.

