Day after: Haryana babus vent grievances, in private

After holding four meetings to decide whether to protest in writing, the officers decided to keep mum, expressing their dismay only in private. Later, a group met Chief Secretary Sunil Ahuja to express concern over the manner in which Chatterjee was suspended. Ahuja, in turn, reportedly trashed the idea of a protest, saying it would invite adverse reaction from the public.

Initially, it was a gathering of a few but soon the room was packed with about two dozen officers who mulled the issue for about an hour before relocating to the CMO on the fourth floor. The afternoon faded into evening but the bureaucrats failed to reach a consensus. Despite the marathon meetings, the matter has finally been put off till tomorrow. The officers’ chorus: ‘‘We are waiting for the Chief Secretary.”