The Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj suspended Panchayat Development Officer (PDO) Praveen Kumar, who is posted in Sirwar taluk, for allegedly participating in an RSS event, wearing the uniform of the organisation, at Lingsagur in Raichur district of Karnataka on October 12.

Arundhati Chandrasekhar, Commissioner of the RDPR Department, issued the suspension order stating that Mr. Kumar has violated service rules by participating in an RSS event.

Photos of Mr. Kumar wearing the ganavesh (uniform worn by RSS workers) and holding a lathi have gone viral on social media platforms.

The suspended PDO is expected to face a departmental enquiry.

On October 16, the Karnataka Cabinet decided to bring in rules to restrict activities of private organisations , such as the RSS,

See Full Page