If you think the Babugiri and VIP culture have been outdated stories, you must be in for a shock. Do you remember the IAS officer Sanjeev Khirwar who vacated a Delhi Stadium just to walk his dog on the tracks meant for athletes? BSNL Director Vivek Banzal can even put him to shame. A ‘royal protocol’ itinerary issued by the BSNL with regard to the Director and his family’s visit to Prayagraj can even leave Prime Minister Narendra Modi gasping for breath.
First of all, who is Vivek Banzal?
Vivek Banzal is a 1987-batch Indian Telecom Service (ITS) officer. He is an engineering graduate – Bacheltors in Engineering in Electronics and has done Masters of Engineering in Computer Science. He has more than 35 years of experience in the telecom sector. Banzal has been associated with the BSNL on multiple occasions. He joined as the director (Consumer Fixed Access- CFA) in 2018. He went on to become the Chairman and Managing Director of ITI Limited in 2022 and again joined the BSNL later.
What is the row about?
The row erupted after a detailed BSNL circular covering Banzal’s visit to Sangam. The itinerary even included arrangements for shops and underwear for the Director. The royal treatment sparked a massive outrage on social media, with at least 50 BSNL employees assigned different tasks, including receiving and transporting the officer. The arrangements included arranging breakfast, lunch, dinner, Sangam snan kits with towels, undergarments, and hair oil. The officer was to visit the city on Feb 25-26.
The BSNL officers formed committees to handle everything from meetings to stay arrangements and personal comforts. BSNL officers, who have been hired to serve the public, were deployed to arrange kits like bottles, chocolate, chips and fruit juice, towels, undies, sleepers and grooming essentials. Even orders were issued to have two Innova cars with new white towels to cover the seats.
Cancellation after outrage
The order was leaked on social media by mistake and the visit was cancelled after the outrage. A BSNL officer admitted the leak, saying the order was meant for internal purpose.
“BSNL has standing instructions in place regarding the manner in which official visits are to be handled. An instance of non-adherence to the same has been taken note of. The instance noted is not in conformity with the professional standards and values of BSNL. Appropriate action has been taken against the concerned. Further, instructions have been issued reiterating strict adherence to extant instructions. BSNL employees are reminded to strictly adhere to prescribed conduct rules and instructions in this regard,” BSNL India posted on its X handle.
BSNL Director Vivek Banjal’s ‘royal visit’ to Prayagraj CANCELLED! Over 50 officers had been deployed to handle even the tiniest details including his underwear! A full-blown protocol was issued on Feb 19 to ensure he faced zero inconvenience during the trip. All that pomp…… pic.twitter.com/s4TSGljaF5
— The Nalanda Index (@Nalanda_index) February 23, 2026
Babu-cracy at its peak
The BSNL officer’s admission that the notice was leaked by mistake and was meant for internal purposes only hints at a culture that has been prevalent in the PSUs and government ministries and offices.
“This is a very common practice in the PSUs and government departments. Whenever a senior officer like Director, CMD or Secretary visits other concerned offices for meetings, elaborate arrangements are often made by the organisations and officials/staffs are deployed to make the visit smooth. The viral protocol circular may have amazed common citizens, but a government staff member may not find anything unusual in this,” said a retired Deputy General Manager on the condition of the anonymity.
Critics highlight that babus live a highly royal life in India, even better than politicians who have to hit grounds to get elected every five year.
Why the outrage or concern?
Incidents like this are not mere administrative excesses; they are symptoms of a deeper malaise that continues to plague India’s public institutions. When public sector employees are diverted from serving citizens to arranging towels, cars, and personal comforts for senior officials, it reflects a mindset that confuses authority with entitlement. The fact that such arrangements were considered “normal” internally is perhaps the most worrying part.
In a country striving for efficiency, transparency, and accountability, babu culture — with its obsession for hierarchy, privilege, and protocol — stands as a stubborn relic of colonial bureaucracy. Unless merit, service, and responsibility replace entitlement and deference, governance will remain trapped in ceremonial pomp while citizens continue to wait for real reform.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: ZEE News
