Thiruvananthapurm: An employee of VSSC, the lead centre of ISRO under the Department of Science (DoS), has sparked controversy after posting derogatory remarks against Bharat Mata and the Prime Minister on Facebook.
"Through his Facebook posts, he has been vehemently criticizing the Central Government, the
Prime Minister, and key government decisions, which is unacceptable for a government servant," Rajendraprasad S, Convenor of BPEF, affiliated to BMS, said on Sunday.
"The Facebook post contains defamatory remarks against Bharat Mata - a revered national symbol - and is offensive to the religious sentiments of Hindus as well as the patriotic sentiments of citizens across India."
R. Pramod, Senior Assistant, Project Accounts, has been persistently engaging in behavior that is in direct contravention of the service rules governing Central Government employees, he pointed out.
"Specifically, his comments on the holiday declared for Ram Lalla Prana Pratishtha in Ayodhya are a serious breach of conduct. Furthermore, he has also made a post depicting Bharat Mata in a very bad light, which is not only objectionable but also deeply hurtful to the sentiments of a large section of the population," he added.
"Such a statement on social media amounts to a mockery of the national ethos and is wholly unbecoming of a government servant," Rajendraprasad said.
As per Rule 3(1)(iii) of the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964, every government servant shall at all times maintain integrity, devotion to duty, and do nothing which is unbecoming of a government servant, he said.
Additionally, under Rule 3(1)(ii), a government servant is expected to maintain proper conduct in private life that does not bring disrepute to the Government or its institutions.
Further, Rule 9 prohibits criticism of the Government in public forums or through social media in a manner that tarnishes its image or incites disharmony.
By posting derogatory and socially inflammatory content on a public platform, Pramod, who is also President of Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers, has violated these rules and compromised the dignity and neutrality expected from employees of a highly respected scientific institution like ISRO/VSSC, Rajendraprasad added.
