A schoolgirl in Bihar had a rather simple ask: “Can the government give sanitary pads at ₹ 20-30?”
“Tomorrow you’ll say the government can give jeans too. And why not some beautiful shoes after that?” was IAS officer Harjot Kaur Bhamra’s snarky reply. And then she added, “You will eventually expect the government to give you family planning methods, condoms, too.”
When the student reminded her that people’s votes make the government, the officer snapped: “This is heights of stupidity. Don’t vote, then. Become Pakistan. Do you vote for money and services?”
This exchange, in Hindi, with a teenage student from a slum was on stage at a workshop on ‘Sashakt Beti, Samriddh Bihar’ (Empowered Daughters, Prosperous Bihar). The project tagline read: ‘Towards enhancing the value of girls’. Harjot Kaur Bhamra heads the state’s Women and Child Development Corporation, which organized the Tuesday function in partnership with Unicef and other organizations.
The officer did attempt to extract a lesson from her comments. “Why do you require assistance from the government? This thinking is incorrect. Do it yourself,” she instructed the audience, which consisted primarily of girls in ninth grade.
However, the question-and-answer series was lengthy.
When a student reported that the girls’ restroom in her school is broken and that boys frequently use it, the officer asked, “Do you have separate toilets at home?” How will it work if you continue to ask for numerous things at various locations?”
The student responded to “become Pakistan” with, “I am an Indian.” Why should I?”
Ms. Bhamra received another lesson when a member of the audience asked her sarcastically why government programmes exist at all. She stated: “There is a need for a paradigm shift,” and then turned back to the girls on stage, “You must decide where you want to be in the future. You must make this decision on your own. The government cannot help you with this. Would you like to sit where you are or on the side where I am?”
Despite the fact that videos of the event depict the interactions, Ms. Bhamra stated, “It is false, malicious, and incorrect reporting of an event.”
“I am known to be one of the most vociferous champions of women’s rights and empowerment. Some mischievous elements against whom stringent action has been taken by WCDC for omissions and commission of wrongdoings, having lost at each forum, have now resorted to such low attempts to malign my reputation,” said Ms. Bhamra, who is also Principal Secretary, Women, and Child Welfare.
She has also threatened to sue the newspaper Dainik Bhaskar – which first reported her comments widely – saying that it was “a deliberate attempt to malign her image” and urged the Press Council of India to take action.
छात्राओं की शिकायत पर बिगड़े IAS अफ़सर के बोल, यहां देखिए उन्होंने क्या कहा? pic.twitter.com/ZnnvYqdSlu
— NDTV India (@ndtvindia) September 28, 2022
