Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Mar 31: Two teachers from Shivamogga district have been suspended from service. They had shared a voice message that was uploaded in WhatsApp and also commented on it. The message was in the form of ridiculing chief minister of the state B S Yediyurappa, on the issue of his request to the people to donate to Chief Minister's Relief Fund at a time when the state and country are grappling with coronavirus pandemic.

The teaches who drew the ire of the department are Dakya Naik, assistant teacher of government higher primary school, Thimmapura, Sorab taluk, and Raju, cluster resource person of Anavatti. Zilla panchayat chief executive officer M L Vaishali, issued the orders suspending them.

The country is going through lockdown in its fight against coronavirus. All the teachers and lecturers have been asked to work from home till April 11. The teachers therefore are expected to conduct their academic activities from their homes.

The state government has formed Chief Ministers Relief Fund to tackle coronavirus, and the people are asked to donate to it generously. Some miscreants, who ridiculed the government for this measure, uploaded a voice message, telling the government that they have a list of where the money is, duly asking the chief minister whether he is free. The content of the voice recording is in the form deriding the chief minister, it is said.

Dakya Naik had shared this WhatsApp message in a group called 'CRC Anavatti Teachers Friends'. Raju, who checked the record, commented by saying 'really right sir'. Raju happens to be the admin of the group.

The zilla panchayat objected to the content, saying that being government servants, they were wrong in posting socially hurtful audio in social media against people's representatives who are constitutionally elected, at a time when the people are undergoing hardships on account of coronavirus.