BBS chief editor resigns alleging workplace harassment and discrimination

The former chief editor has lodged a formal complaint with the Department of Labour

Lhakpa Quendren

The Chief Editor of the Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS) has resigned after alleging a prolonged pattern of workplace mistreatment, intimidation, and procedural irregularities surrounding his appointment, a dispute that has now landed before the Department of Labour.

The department, under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Employment, is expected to review the case if it remains unresolved after a two-week window sought by BBS management for an internal, amicable settlement.

Speaking to Kuensel, BBS Chief Executive Officer Dorji Tashi said that, because the incidents in question occurred under previous management, he wanted time to review the matter thoroughly and hoped for an amicable resolution.

He said his attempts to reach the former Chief Editor, Yeshi Gyaltshen, including via WhatsApp, went unanswered.

“I had to conclude that he would like to formally pursue the case. I have no right to stop the labour investigation, nor do I intend to,” Dorji Tashi said, adding that he had not received any formal complaint from either Yeshi Gyaltshen or the office. “Had the complaint been formally lodged, I would have looked into the matter thoroughly.”

Labour Department officials said appropriate interventions would follow the review, if warranted.

“If required, we will call both parties for mediation. If either party refuses, mediation will not proceed, and we will make our observations and refer the matter accordingly,” an official said.

The incidents began during the tenure of former CEO Kaka Tshering and escalated under the interim management of officiating CEO Tshering Dorji, who is now the Director of the Corporate Services Department.

The BBS Management maintains that all decisions taken during that period were made in consultation with BBS’s higher authorities. “I am not aware of the complaint, and as the matter is now sub judice, I do not wish to comment at this stage,” one management member said.

Yeshi Gyaltshen first petitioned the Department of Labour for an investigation on November 19, 2025, and followed up on December 16, 2025, requesting intervention over what he described as escalating workplace harassment that undermined his professional standing and caused him distress.

He alleged that procedural irregularities, discriminatory treatment, delays in implementing a Board reinstatement decision, and disputed performance assessments had taken a significant toll on both his career and personal life.

“I believe the issues I encountered go beyond my individual employment and raise broader concerns about governance, transparency, accountability, and the treatment of employees within a public institution,” Yeshi Gyaltshen said.

The BBS management, for its part, alleged that the Board had instructed it not to share official correspondence, accusing Yeshi Gyaltshen of misappropriating office documents – a claim he disputes.

Yeshi Gyaltshen said he had provided relevant documents and records precisely so the facts could be independently examined. “My intention was not to attack individuals or undermine BBS, but to ensure concerns about governance, procedural fairness, and workplace culture were examined openly and objectively,” he said.

Yeshi Gyaltshen initially raised the matter with the Journalists’ Association of Bhutan (JAB) in August 2025 and a JAB official later shared his letter with JAB’s Board of Directors in a WhatsApp group.

JAB Executive Director Rinzin Wangchuk confirmed the complaint had been referred to the association’s Board for deliberation, though discussions have yet to take place. “The complaint was official, and it is JAB’s mandate to take up matters concerning journalists,” he said.

Yeshi Gyaltshen further alleged that his immediate supervisor, Thinley Yangchen Dorji – Director of the News and Current Affairs Department and a JAB board member – had informed management of the complaint, which he described as a conflict of interest.

Thinley Yangchen Dorji said she had asked the JAB chairperson to exclude her from any deliberations. “I respect the boundaries,” she said.

The BBS management said Yeshi Gyaltshen was given the opportunity to leave for Australia, despite a skills shortage at the company, to accompany his wife, also a reporter, who is pursuing further studies. “If he has any problems, it was the BBS Board that took his matter seriously,” a management member said.

In a two-line resignation letter to the CEO dated April 14, 2026, Yeshi Gyaltshen gave no reason for his departure. “Please accept this as my resignation from my position,” it read. “Please consider the next one month as my last month in office.”

Disputed appointment process?

Yeshi Gyaltshen, who joined BBS in 2010, had been officiating as Chief Editor of the News and Current Affairs Department since October 2022 before being formally appointed in November 2023 through a nomination-based process, endorsed by the Board as he was the sole applicant.

The position initially required a minimum of 10 years’ experience, which only Yeshi Gyaltshen met. Even after the Board lowered the threshold to eight years when the vacancy was re-advertised, he was one of just two qualified candidates, according to BBS management.

Yeshi Gyaltshen said management nonetheless delayed issuing his formal appointment order for more than a year, citing an alleged Anti-Corruption Commission investigation into the selection process. “I visited the ACC office and confirmed there was no such investigation,” he said, arguing the delay was not properly justified.

When the appointment order was finally issued on December 13, 2024, its effective date had been revised from November 1, 2023, to January 1, 2024, and he was denied the M2 managerial grade that had been advertised in August 2023.

After management rejected his appeal, he took the matter to the Board, arguing that other chief editors, executive producers and officials in comparable or subordinate roles who were appointed through open competition had received the M2 grade and its benefits, while he remained on a lower grade despite carrying similar responsibilities.

“Reinstating me but denying the M2 grade operates in effect as a punitive measure, implying wrongdoing where none has been established,” he said, adding that it restricted his professional growth and opportunities.

The arrangement, Yeshi Gyaltshen said, was inconsistent with company policy and violated Sections 12 and 13 of the Labour and Employment Act of Bhutan, 2007, which prohibit workplace discrimination.

The Board revoked his appointment in August 2025 over alleged procedural lapses but later reinstated him on appeal, with the clarification linked to BBS airing a court case involving the Board’s termination of former CEO Kaka Tshering in February 2025 over alleged misconduct and weak leadership.

“I was later informed that this coverage may not have been well received by some members of the Board, and a meeting between the Board and management was also held shortly afterward,” he said.

The BBS Management did not formally notify him of his reinstatement until 41 days later — exceeding the 30 days prescribed under BBS Service Rules, which require written communication of decisions along with reasons.

Yeshi Gyaltshen said management had made his reinstatement conditional on him explaining his appeal letter, though he later learnt from Board members that no such condition had in fact been imposed.

Between September and October 2025, he said he was repeatedly asked to rewrite his clarification letter and assigned desk duties inconsistent with those of a Chief Editor.

“I was called to a management meeting and questioned on matters unrelated to the clarification sought, including my reaching out to JAB,” Yeshi Gyaltshen said.

He further alleged that management delayed forwarding his clarification to the Board while members believed he had already been reinstated. “I informed the officiating CEO and HR manager by email but received no response even after a reminder,” he said.

Despite the reinstatement, he said duties normally assigned to a Chief Editor were delegated to an Assignment Editor, who is structurally subordinate, creating confusion in reporting lines. “This arrangement departed from established reporting structures and created uncertainty regarding role clarity and fairness,” he said.

Yeshi Gyaltshen also questioned plans to create an Editor-in-Chief post above the Chief Editor, arguing it duplicated responsibilities, reduced his authority, and was introduced without consultation or changes to his employment terms.

Section 16.2.4 of the BBSCL Service Rules provides employees the right to representation in grievance procedures, while Section 16.2.7 of the BBS Internal Service Rules protects employees from adverse action for filing grievances.

Yeshi Gyaltshen said that another employee, similarly stripped of the Online Chief position over an ACC complaint tied to the selection process, was reinstated without appeal and without being required to submit multiple clarifications.