Sources said this was because the political bosses in Delhi gave a dressing down to Prasar Bharti officials for the coverage, and it was decided to transfer Singh to Silchar in Assam. However, Singh was prepared with an explanation that forced a rethink on the transfer order. Singh told Newsline on Wednesday that there was no official communication on his intended transfer but colleagues had foretold him of this and it left him uneasily waiting for orders.

Apparently, what saved Singh from the punishment transfer was that he had duly “availed the Director General's permission for live coverage of the event”. Singh said he was no great Modi fan to give any undue coverage, going out of the way. “Whatever coverage was given, was only after availing prior permission from the Director General's office in Delhi. Also, this is a routine meet being covered since 2003," Singh said.

When the Silchar DDK director, S S Dhar, was contacted, he said Prasar Bharti officials had sent him a fax, asking if posting Singh at Silchar was possible. "But later, they rang up advising to ignore the earlier message because the transfer order was being reconsidered," Dhar said.

When contacted, the office of Noreen Naqvi, Director General, Doordarshan, said she was too busy in meetings to comment.