Tirupati GST Assistant Commissioner S. Subhash Chandra Bose has been suspended for spreading fake news while doing a government job. On the 19th of last month, he not only posted on his Facebook that the capital Amaravati was submerged, but also added sarcastic comments like, ‘What if Amaravati is built as a reservoir?’ ‘A single rain floods Amaravati’.
As these posts went viral on social media, the government issued a memo to him on August 21 seeking an explanation. On the 3rd of this month, Bose gave an explanation to the government.
“My Facebook account is my personal one. It is not mentioned anywhere in that account that I am a government employee. It can be said that it is not mine. But I will not say that. I have not made a single comment on the government. I have not criticized the government’s policies. The capitals of neighboring states like Hyderabad and Chennai are often submerged in rains. Similarly, the capital of AP, Amaravati, is also submerged”, he argued.
“Prime Minister Modi also welcomes criticism of his government. Democracy is strengthened by criticism. The Supreme Court has also said the same thing”, he further argued. The government rejected his explanation.
“The officer said that he had posted those sarcastic posts. When a government employee makes comments on social media, they cannot be considered personal. Because everyone has the opportunity to see them. As a high-ranking officer, his comments can affect people,” it said. It rejected his explanation, saying that there is a difference between constructive criticism and malicious criticism.
It announced that he would be suspended under the APCS, CCA 1991 and AP Civil Services (Conduct) Rules-1964. In this regard, Chief Commissioner of Commercial Taxes Department Ahmed Babu issued orders on Tuesday. He said that the explanation given by Bose regarding the posts on social media was not satisfactory. He was suspended from duty and further investigation will continue.
In fact, it is reported that Bose has a habit of making thought-provoking comments on social media for social awareness with social consciousness. However, he crossed the limits and forgot that he was an official and posted anti-government posts and was suspended.