Former Indian hockey captain Dilip Tirkey, who is contesting from the Sundargarh lok Sabha constituency on a BJD ticket, has been asked not to use his Padma Shri honour as a title in his campaign trail, an official said on Tuesday.
In a letter, District Election Officer of Sundargarh district BS Punia has directed Tirkey to immediately remove all campaign materials which carry the word ‘Padm Shri’ before his name. Punia viewed in the letter that it would be unfair to use Padma Shri as a title on his posters and banners and other campaign materials.
The move comes nearly a week after Tirkey’s BJP rival Jual Oram lodged a complaint with the DEO pointing out that use of Padma Shri honour amounts to violation of the model code of conduct. Tirkey was honoured with the India’s fourth highest civilian award for his contribution in promotion of hockey in 2004.