Under ‘Tirupati Nama’ Kannada lecturer predicts Chandrayaan-3’s failure, gets show cause notice

Bengaluru: A social media post ridiculing the Chandrayaan-3 mission by Hulikunte Murthy, a Kannada lecturer at a PU college in Malleswaram, has landed in controversy, prompting the Karnataka Department of Pre-University Education director to issue a show cause notice to him.

The lecturer, who is also known for his Dalit activism, allegedly posted a tweet in Kannada expressing his scepticism over the success of the mission while using a cryptic phrase, 'Tirupati nama'.

In the controversial post, he suggested that the Chandrayaan-3 mission was bound to fail once again. It is worth noting that a team of ISRO scientists had sought blessings at the renowned Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh prior to the mission's launch.

The matter came to the attention of the deputy director of PU (Bengaluru North) on Monday, and as a result, the department requested an explanation from Hulikunte Murthy regarding the social media post. The lecturer has been given until Wednesday to submit his reply, after which appropriate action will be taken based on his response.

Former education minister and BJP leader S Suresh Kumar has also taken note of the incident and has reached out to the new School Education Minister, Madhu Bangarappa, seeking clarification on the lecturer's conduct. Kumar expressed his concern about the potential impact of such statements on student motivation and called for accountability from Murthy.

Chandrayaan-3, an important mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has been widely celebrated across the country, with the scientific community eagerly anticipating its success.

However, the alleged social media post by the lecturer has sparked controversy and drawn attention to the issue of responsible communication, especially from educators who play a critical role in shaping young minds.