Puja Khedkar lodges harassment complaint against Pune district collector
Washim (PTI): Probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar has lodged a complaint of harassment against Pune district collector Suhas Diwase at Washim in eastern Maharashtra, an official said on Tuesday.
Diwase did not respond to calls and messages seeking his reaction.
Khedkar is under the scanner for her claims on her disability as well as OBC certificates while clearing the IAS and also for her conduct when she was posted in the Pune collector's office.
"Women police personnel visited Khedkar at her residence in Washim on Monday and she lodged a complaint of harassment against Pune district collector Suhas Diwase," the official said.
Earlier in the day, Khedkar refused to elaborate on the purpose of the visit by police personnel while speaking to TV news channels.
"I had called female police personnel because I had some work," she had said.
Amid the row, the government on Tuesday put on hold the 'district training program' of Khedkar as she was summoned back to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration for "necessary action".
Khedkar was transferred to Washim as a supernumerary assistant collector from Pune after Diwase submitted a report to senior officials about her conduct such as allegedly demanding the facilities which she, as a trainee IAS official, was not entitled to, and occupying the ante-chamber of a senior official.
Asked what would be the next course of action regarding her complaint, the official at Washim said it will be forwarded to the Pune police.
Diwase, meanwhile, did not respond to repeated calls and a message seeking his comment.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
