An official working with the Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TSSPDCL) was suspended for 'dereliction of duty' after his post on Facebook, which was critical of the power company, went viral on social media.
According to the suspension order, Assistant Divisional Engineer D Koteswar Rao had gone live on Facebook on February 3, "without obtaining permission from the management and has given a lengthy speech making allegations against certain engineers of TSSPDCL."
In his Facebook live, Rao had alleged that certain engineers had awarded 4,769 contract works to one contractor, Pradeep Electricals, allegedly with enhanced rates for execution of fencing works near electrical transformers.
Rao also spoke to a journalist from Telugu Daily Sakshi over his allegations and the company said that this "tarnished the image of TSSPDCL.”
The TSSPDCL said that these two actions amounted to misconduct, as per rules and norms laid down for the employees, and therefore, it was suspending him.
The order said that Rao will "continue to be under suspension till the conclusion of the disciplinary proceedings/termination of all proceedings relating to the charges."
It also attached Rao to the company's headquarters in Hyderabad for the suspension period and said that he shall not leave the headquarters without obtaining prior permission.
In May last year, civil rights activist and general secretary of the Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee, Lateef Mohammed Khan, who also worked as a headmaster at the Government High School in Nampally, was suspended by the School Education Department.
His suspension orders came after he criticised Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao through a video, which had been widely shared on social media.
“KCR made many promises but never fulfilled them. During the Telangana movement and 2014 elections, he said that he will create a ‘golden Telangana’, but he failed to live up to it," Lateef had said in the video.