Fury over Maharashtra professors put on liquor shop duty

NAGPUR: Prof Deval Singh Rajput teaches electronics to vocational students at Sant Gadgebaba College in Murtizapur, 40km from Akola. Early on Thursday morning, he went straight to a liquor shop in Hatgaon area, some 2km from his house, and worked there as ‘wine shop coordinator’ up to 2pm.
“Following the orders of the tehsildar, I worked as coordinator up to 2pm and requested customers to follow social distancing norms while buying liquor,” he said.
As many as 13 professors like him, who teach different subjects in senior college to UG and PG students, were asked to work as wine shop coordinator by Murtizapur tehsildar Pradip Pawar.
When TOI escalated this issue to the resident deputy collector and district collector of Akola, the tehsildar’s order was hastily withdrawn on Thursday evening itself.
The order had been issued on Wednesday evening as shops and markets in Akola district were to open from May 7 after two days of complete lockdown. Akola district observed total lockdown from May 3 to 5 in the backdrop of a major surge of Covid-19 cases in district.
“We were asked to reach the shop at 8am and ensure that owner is conducting thermal scanning of all workers in the shop,” said Prof Prakash Wankhede, who teaches English literature in the college run by a society established by Sant Gadge Baba. The great social revolutionist in Vidarbha dedicated his life to the cause of de-addiction and education for all.
Further, professors were asked to ensure proper social distancing and hand hygiene by customers at liquor shops. They were also ordered to stop assembly of more than five customers and also to stop any of them from splitting in and around the liquor shop.
Teachers and professors’ association objected to this weird order on Thursday morning. “This is unacceptable ethically as well as legally,” said Atul Pilatre, Akola district president of Maharashtra State Teachers Council. When TOI contacted resident deputy collector of Akola Sanjay Khadse, he said the order will be withdrawn.
“We came to know about this order on Thursday morning only. I have already asked tehsildar of Murtizapur to withdraw it immediately,” said Khadse. Akola district collector Jitendra Papalkar also directed the concerned tehsildar to withdraw the order.
By Thursday evening, withdrawal notice of the order reached via WhatsApp to all professors. “We have received instructions from district collector that only police should be appointed to ensure order at liquor shops. So, our orders issued on May 6 stand cancelled. All professors are duly informed about it,” said tehsildar Pawar.
MLC from teacher’s constituency Nago Ganar termed this action a ‘mindless act’. He said, “These government officials are misusing powers they have got due in the Epidemic Act. I condemn this action. I have already written to Akola district collector and demanded disciplinary action against the tehsildar for this weird order.”