The Guest Lectures' State Coordination Committee of government degree colleges in Karnataka marched from Ambedkar Bhavan to the District Commissioner's office in Shivamogga and organised a hunger strike.
The committee has demanded that the state government regularise their jobs and provide compensation of Rs 25 lakh along with a government job to a family member of guest lecture Shriharsha Shanbhog, who died by suicide recently. According to the members, the deceased lecturer Shriharsha was serving as a guest lecturer for more than 13 years but his job wasn't regularised by the government for various reasons.
In the memorandum they submitted, the members stated that the government is neglecting guest lecturers by not securing their jobs or providing any provisions, like ESI and PF. The committee members complained that they had no income during the COVID-19 lockdown and went on to sell vegetables and worked as daily-wage labourers. Some of these lecturers are depressed as they are unable to manage their expenses with a salary of Rs 11,000 to 13,000.
