The Department of Collegiate Education has decided to file a complaint after a fake circular announcing that the State government was declaring holidays was circulated on social media and other platforms.
The circular, which was the cause of much confusion among college managements, stated that the State government had decided to declare holidays from March 15-30, 2021, to contain the spread of COVID-19. College principals were inundated with calls from parents and students seeking a clarification.
Deputy Chief Minister and Higher Education Minister C.N. Ashwath Narayan said that the cyber crime police has been instructed to detect the culprits immediately.
“This is fake news. I have directed officials to book criminal cases against such persons,” he told journalists in Hubballi on Sunday.
“Some people have shared a fake circular on social media handles widely, creating an impression that the government has declared holidays due to the rising COVID-19 cases. That is false. The fake circular has created panic and confusion among parents and students. We will ask the cyber crime police to trace the origin of this fake circular and take action against those responsible. This will send out the message that no one should play with our children’s future,” he said.
Pradeep P., Commissioner of DCE, said that the fake circular was causing confusion among both students and teachers.
“We will lodge a police complaint tomorrow,” said Mr. Pradeep.
Officials pointed out that an old circular declaring holiday for colleges had been tweaked with the dates.
