‘Tired of transfers’, officer seeks early retirement

Upset over frequent transfers, Himachal Pradesh Administrative Services (HAS) officer Sanjiv Bhot has sought premature retirement, accusing the state government of harassing him through repeated reassignments. Bhot, who joined state services in 1998 as a Naib Tehsildar, claims he has been unfairly targeted despite maintaining a clean record.

In the last two and a half years alone, Bhot has been transferred four times — never allowed to complete his stipulated three-year tenure at any post. He was posted as Assistant Commissioner to the DC, Kinnaur, at Kalpa in May 2023 but was shifted within six months to Dodra Kawar in Shimla district as SDM. After just one month there, he was transferred again to Dharamsala as SDM, where he served for a year before being moved once more—this time to Bharmour in Chamba district.

Bhot has written to the General Administration Department requesting early retirement. “I am irritated and disturbed. The state government has transferred me four times in just two and a half years,” he said.

This is believed to be the first such case in the state where an officer with an unblemished service record has been transferred so frequently in such a short span, raising concerns within bureaucratic circles.

Bhot emphasised that he had consistently been posted in tribal and remote areas such as Lahaul-Spiti, Kinnaur and Dodra Kawar. “Despite challenging conditions, I have always performed my duties diligently and no lapses have ever been reported during my tenure,” he said.

He added that he no longer wishes to continue in government service under the current circumstances. “I don’t want to become another victim of bureaucratic apathy like Vimal Negi, who was driven to suicide. Before this harassment leads me into depression, I prefer to leave the job with dignity,” Bhot said.