The Karnataka Congress government has suspended a second state employee for participating in events organized by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), days after a similar action against a Panchayat Development Officer sparked a political confrontation between the ruling Congress and opposition BJP.
The latest suspension involves Pramod Kumar, who worked as an assistant cook at the Pre-Matric Boys’ Hostel in Basavakalyan, Bidar district, under the Backward Classes Welfare Department. Kumar, a contractual employee outsourced through the Bidar District Labour Services Multipurpose Cooperative Society, was relieved from his duties on 21 October 2025.
The action followed a complaint filed by Gagan Phule, president of the Committee for Protecting Democracy and a civil rights activist in Bidar, who objected to Kumar’s participation in an RSS route march. The complaint, filed on 20 October 2025 with the District Backward Classes Welfare Officer, triggered an internal inquiry.
During the investigation, authorities discovered a video of Kumar at the RSS event circulating on social media, along with a photograph he had shared on his WhatsApp status. The Taluk Backward Classes Welfare Officer, Basavakalyan, subsequently issued an official communication stating that since Kumar was employed in a government-funded institution, his participation in the activities of any organization was “prohibited under law.”
This incident comes just days after Praveen Kumar K.P., a Panchayat Development Officer from Sirwar taluk in Raichur district, was suspended for attending an RSS centenary event in Lingsugur on 12 October 2025. The suspension order, issued by IAS officer Arundhati Chandrashekar, cited violations of Rule 3 of the Karnataka Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 2021, which mandates that government employees maintain political neutrality and conduct consistent with the dignity of public service.
The back-to-back suspensions occur amid the state government’s recent introduction of rules requiring prior permission for all organizations, including the RSS, to hold public events. This move followed statements by Congress minister Priyank Kharge advocating restrictions on RSS activities in government spaces such as schools and colleges.
The suspensions have intensified the political debate in Karnataka, with the Congress government emphasizing the need for bureaucratic neutrality while the BJP accuses it of political vendetta. Both suspended employees will remain under suspension with subsistence allowance pending departmental inquiries into their conduct.
(Source: News18)
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