TUMAKURU: A teacher of a government lower primary school in Kaanubenahalli, Hosadurga taluk, Chitradurga district was suspended for Facebook posts that criticised newly sworn-in chief minister Siddaramaiah for his fiscal policies.
In a Facebook post, Shanthamurthy MG said “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 crore, DV Sadananda Gowda Rs 9,464 crore, Jagadish Shettar Rs 13,464 crore and Siddaramaiah Rs 2,42,000 crores (sic)”.
The teacher went on to state that loans incurred by chief ministers from the time of Krishna to Shettar was Rs 71,331 crore but it touched Rs 2,42,000 crore during Siddaramaiah’s reign. “Hence it is easy for him to announce freebies,” the post read.
K Ravishankar Reddy, deputy director of public instruction, Chitradurga district, told TOI, “Based on the Facebook post, I have directed the block education officer of Hosadurga taluk L Jayappa to suspend the teacher as he has violated Karnataka Civil Services (Conduct) Rules – 1966. ” A departmental inquiry will be conducted before further action is taken.