Punjab: The school education department has landed in trouble after 57 clerks-cum-data entry operators and sevadars were transferred on the basis of fake transfer orders. The fake instructions, which were widely circulated on social media for over three weeks, led to unauthorised transfers by district and school-level officials. It was only on February 25 that senior officials realised that the orders were fake, sources said. However, mistaking them for genuine instructions, several district education officers (DEOs) had started implementing the transfers and shifting employees, sources said.
On Wednesday, the director of the school education department issued an urgent letter to all DEOs, warning them not to act on misleading orders, which were apparently issued on February 2. The director stressed that only orders officially communicated through designated email channels should be followed. The director urged officials to be vigilant and verify the authenticity of any such instructions before taking action. Officials have been directed to give priority to official communications and report any suspicious activity to the department without delay. Sources said officials are investigating the source of the fraudulent orders.
