New Delhi: Preetam Lodhi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator in Pichhore, Madhya Pradesh, wrote to the district administration of Shivpuri on the night of March 20, asking a primary school teacher be suspended, a report in the Indian Express said. The reason was that the teacher, Saket Purohit, had mimicked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the video of his jokes had gone viral.The suspended teacher, who is also reportedly in charge of the local chapter of the Happiness Department or Anand Sansthan, an initiative launched by the state in 2016, said his specialty was “how to stay happy in tough times”. He also told the newspaper: “It is the people’s right to raise their voice.”The mimickry Purohit performed was on the recent shortage in cooking gas due to the West Asia conflict, and it was delivered at the Happiness Department-run ‘Anand Bhavan’ in the village, 170 kilometres from Shivpuri. Others had also performed that evening, hoping to lift the mood in the village.“I was making fun of the fact that prices might push people back to cooking on traditional chulhas,” he reportedly said.But as the video went viral, concern escalated over the chain-of-command, ultimately leading to a suspension order signed by the district education officer that very night – with not even a show cause notice issued to Purohit. According to the Indian Express report, “District Education Officer Vivek Srivastava confirmed the suspension, citing provisions under the Madhya Pradesh Civil Services (Conduct) Rules. Purohit was attached to the Block Education Office in Badarwas and placed on subsistence allowance.”“Taking action without hearing my side is not justified,” Purohit told reporters once he learnt that he had been suspended, through a call late at night, the Indian Express reports. “I was suspended in the night, and not even sent a show-cause notice.”“Teachers have the right to speak. In the last few years, I have seen that satire and comedy have restrictions,” Purohit said, adding, “People are getting offended, and there is action on it.” After a pause, he continued, “If people have a fear of speaking out, then it’s their issue. I felt I should speak my mind,” the Indian Express reports.