The government’s television broadcasting wing Doordarshan transferred one of its assistant directors to the Andamans from Ahemdabad after the Gujarat channel of DD aired a news item on PM Modi’s estranged wife.
After a less-than-two-minute item was aired on DD Girnar on Jan.1, V M Vanol, a 58-year-old employee was transferred.
The item talked about Jashodaben filing an RTI petition with Gujarat Police seeking details of her entitlements as PM’s wife, and was widely reported by the national media.Â
Vanol confirmed he had been transferred to the Port Blair station in Andamans but refused to go into details of what led to his transfer. Doordarshan officials in Ahmedabad and New Delhi said the day after the clip was aired, top bureaucrats from the I&B ministry in New Delhi spoke to DD Ahmedabad Kendra officials and demanded an explanation. Four people – a joint director and three assistant directors including Vanol – who were in charge of putting news together that day were allegedly putting news together that day were allegedly pulled up.Â
But I&B ministry officials said the meeting was a regular stock taking event and was not related to any particular issue.Â
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