India, May 21 -- The West Bengal government has issued a directive restricting government employees and officials from interacting with the media without prior permission.

The circular, issued by Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal, reiterates existing conduct rules and states that employees cannot share official information, documents, or publicly comment on government matters without authorisation.

The rules apply to officials from the All India Services (AIS), West Bengal Civil Service, West Bengal Police Service, and employees working in state-linked institutions and government bodies.

Authorities stated that the move is intended to ensure compliance with existing service conduct regulations and control the dissemination of official info...