Teacher suspended for being part of poll event

Our Correspondent

Nahan, May 18

In a recent turn of events, teacher Prashant Sharma has been suspended for violating the election code of conduct by participating in an election campaign and appearing in photographs with BJP state president Rajiv Bindal and BJP candidate from the Shimla Suresh Kashyap. The teacher participated in the election campaign at Sirmaur.

The controversy began when pictures of Prashant Sharma with the BJP leaders were uploaded on social media, providing tangible evidence for a complaint. According to sources, the complaint was directly sent to the State Election Commission in Shimla, prompting swift action from the District Election Officer.

DEO takes action

• The controversy began when pictures of teacher Prashant Sharma with BJP leaders were uploaded on social media, providing tangible evidence for a complaint.
• According to sources, the complaint was directly sent to the State Election Commission in Shimla, prompting swift action by the District Election Officer.

Following instructions from the Election Commission, an inquiry was conducted by the Nahan Assistant Election Officer and Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM). Prashant Sharma’s responses during the inquiry were deemed unsatisfactory, leading to a disciplinary order issued by District Election Officer and Deputy Commissioner Sumit Khimta on May 14.

The Education Department summoned Sharma on May 16, where he reiterated his initial statements, which had already been rejected by the Election Commission.

Consequently, the teacher, who was serving as a Shastri at Malgaon School in the Nahan Education Block, was suspended and reassigned to Shillai during the suspension period.

This is not an isolated incident of disciplinary action for political campaigning in the education sector. Similar measures were taken against a teacher campaigning for the Congress during the Assembly elections. The complaint against Prashant was lodged through the cVigil App, a platform used to report violations of the model code of conduct.

This incident underscores the vigilance and responsiveness of the electoral process in maintaining fair election practices. As the election season progresses, the enforcement of such regulations serves as a reminder to public servants about the importance of neutrality and the consequences of partisan activities during electoral campaigns.

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