Mangaluru: Two including lecturers arrested for plastering defamatory posters on female colleague
Mangaluru: The Mangaluru city police have arrested three men including a college convener and two professors of a prestigious college in the district, for plastering a defamatory poster containing offensive writing against a female lecturer at a public place.
The arrested accused have been identified as Prakash Shenoy (44), a resident of Laaila at Belthangady Taluk, Pradeep Poojary (36), a resident of Ulirodi at Siddakatte Vegi, and Tharanath B. S. Shetty (32), a resident of Sitanadi at Hebri Taluk in Udupi. While one of the accused was a college convener, the other two were working lecturers in the college, it is learned.
Reportedly, amid an ongoing conflict over the appointment of lecturers in the college and matters of administration at a prestigious college at Bantwal in D.K. District, a female lecturer of the college was being targeted by the accused who indulged in producing offensive letters, defamatory posters against her and sending them via post to her lecturer colleagues, college head, and the top-level officials in the education department to defame her. The victim had registered a complaint against the accused for defamation, issuing threats to her life, and inflicting psychological abuse on her, at the Mangaluru women’s police station. The police have arrested the accused in this regard.
In the beginning, the accused male college convener and the two male lecturers had joined together and distributed defamatory writings against the female lecturer through postcards, inland letter attached with the victimized lecturer’s photo to her fellow lecturer colleagues, college head, and the top-level officials in the education department via the post. After that, the accused publicized the victim’s mobile number and email-id by creating obscene posters attached with this information and plastered them at various bus stand toilets at Sulya, Subramanya, Smapaje, Madikeri, Mysuru, Chikmagalur, Mudigere, Balehonnur, N. R. Pura and Shimoga. Following this the victim had started receiving obscene phone calls from members of the public, causing her much mental anguish and psychological abuse. Notably, among the accused, Pradeep Poojary has an existing case from the year 2019 that was registered against him for attempting to slander a female lecturer, it is learned.
Reportedly, there are many others involved in the current case, and the police are in the process of identifying them. The police have seized 3 mobile phones from the accused, the police informed.
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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.
