A government school teacher in Kaanubenahalli, Hosadurga taluk, Chitradurga district, has been suspended following a controversial Facebook post in which he criticized the newly sworn-in Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah. The suspension came after the teacher, Shanthamurthy MG, shared a post on Facebook highlighting the increasing debt under Siddaramaiah’s administration.
The Facebook post stated, “Debt during the tenure of former chief ministers SM Krishna was Rs. 3,590 crore, Dharam Singh Rs. 15,635 crore, HD Kumaraswamy Rs. 3,545 crore, BS Yeddiyurappa Rs. 25,653, DV Sadananda Gowda Rs 9,464 crore, Jagadish Shettar Rs 13,464 crore and Siddaramaiah Rs 2,42,000 crores (sic).” Shanthamurthy MG further commented on the escalating loans accumulated by different governments over the years, emphasizing that Siddaramaiah’s reign had seen a significant surge in debt.
Credits – India Today
In response to the Facebook post, K. Ravishankar Reddy, the deputy director of public instruction in Chitradurga district, took action and directed the block education officer of Hosadurga taluk, L Jayappa, to suspend the teacher. The suspension was carried out based on the violation of Karnataka Civil Services (Conduct) Rules – 1966.
Credits – Hindustan Times
The teacher’s Facebook post reflected his perception that the escalating debt under Siddaramaiah’s administration was a means to fund various freebies. However, the government deemed the post inappropriate and in violation of the established code of conduct for civil service employees
