Chennai: Public Broadcaster Prasar Bharati has initiated disciplinary proceedings against R Vasumathi, an Assistant Director of Programme in Chennai Doordarshan Kendra.
According to source in Prasar Bharathi, Vasumathi has been placed under suspension as she failed to live telecast on DD Podhigai, the speech of PM Narendra Modi at the Singapore-India Hackathon 2019 held at IIT Madras’s research centre in Chennai on 30th September.
However, the order given to Vasumathi, does not openly state the reason for her suspension. It merely conveys that a disciplinary hearing has been initiated against the programme director and while it is underway she will be placed under suspension as per the Central Civil Services Rules (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965.
The Chief Executive Officer of Prasar Bharathi, Shashi Shekhar Vempati, has signed the order. He called her decision not to telecast part of the Hackathon as ‘wilful insubordination’.
While DD Podhigai had telecast two of the three events live, a part of the Hackathon event was telecast in the form of a ‘news item’ in the bulletin. The action was initiated after PMO’s enquiry as to why the speech had not been telecast live but was carried as a ‘news item’ in the bulletin.
