Bengaluru lecturer asked to resign for speaking in Kannada, issue later resolved
A Bengaluru lecturer's video alleging he was compelled to resign for speaking in Kannada during a classroom session sparked outrage on social media over the weekend, before the matter was resolved amicably between the teacher and the institution.
In the now-viral video, Rupesh Puttur, a faculty member at a city-based college, claimed he was removed from his position after responding to a student's question in Kannada.
(Also Read: 'Difficult to learn 200 local words?': Mohandas Pai reacts to row over SBI manager's refusal to speak Kannada)
'One student asked me something in Kannada, and I replied accordingly. Another student objected, saying he didn't understand the language and requested that I speak in English. I told him that Kannada is the local language and must be respected,' he said in the video.
Puttur alleged that the college principal took disciplinary action against him the next day, allegedly pressuring him to resign. In a serious accusation, he also claimed that the institution threatened to withhold the academic records of his daughter, who studies at a different branch of the same college group.
'This is Kannada land. No one should lose their job for using their mother tongue. The incident is captured on the college CCTV,' he said emotionally in the video.
The video quickly gained traction online, triggering a wave of support for Puttur and renewed calls for linguistic rights in Karnataka.
According to a report by Udaya Vani, in response to the backlash, the college principal, Venkatesh, issued a statement clarifying the institution's position. 'We regret the misunderstanding surrounding the Kannada language. The college has always stood by Kannada and Karnataka. Such incidents will not happen again,' he said.
Later that evening, Puttur released a second video retracting his earlier allegations. He stated that the issue had been resolved amicably and that his earlier remarks stemmed from anxiety over his daughter's future.
(Also Read: 'Refuses to speak Tamil or Kannada': Bengaluru man calls out neighbour's English-only parenting)
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