Wearing black badges to mark their protest against recruitment of staff for the 24-hour television news channel Doordarshan News that was launched in August last year, officers of the Indian Information Service (IIS) expressed concern at the induction of non-IIS people.

"This has eroded professionalism and impartiality of news operations," the IIS officers' association said in a release.

The association members had last week met Information and Broadcasting Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to convey their objection to the appointment of "outsiders with dubious qualifications at astronomical salaries".

The IIS officers feared a similar recruitment drive might take place in All India Radio.

They felt they were being marginalized "despite our years of experience, dedication and professionalism".

The officers demanded that recruitment be conducted through the official Union Public Service Commission and that the head of Doordarshan's news division should be an IIS officer.