Google job that wasn’t: Phone call devastated my son’s life, says mother of Chandigarh teen
“Harshit got a phone call; we did not believe at first. We doubted the information as there is always the possibility of fake calls. He further told his school principal about it. The principal then released the press note which led to media outlets covering it in a big way,” said his mother, Bharti Sharma, adding that all this has “devastated” the life of her son.
Bharti Sharma, mother of the 16-year-old boy who made headlines for getting a job offer from Google and then for it being a hoax, said on Wednesday the incident had “devastated” her son’s life.
Talking to HT, Bharti, a teacher from Kurukshetra, said Harshit got a hoax call, and not a letter, informing him about his selection for the post of graphic designer.
“Harshit got a phone call. We did not believe it at first. I kept telling him it could be hoax,” said the mother. “He shared the information with his school principal, who further released a press note, which led to media coverage.”
Bharti said once the news was published and mediapersons started contacting them, they too thought the job offer is genuine.
“We thought the principal has some confirmation,” she said.
Where did letter come from?
However, question remains over the offer letter that the school has provided to the media, claiming that Harshit had forwarded it to a teacher. The letter has several mistakes and does not contain any salary details.
Bharti maintained that Harshit did not provide it to the school. Harshit had completed Class 12 from Government Model Senior Secondary School (GMSSS), Sector 33, this year.
It was on Saturday that the UT administration released a press note about Harshit’s achievement. The release claimed that the internet giant would pay him Rs 12 lakh per month as salary after a year’s training. During training, it was claimed he will get a stipend of Rs 4 lakh per month.
However, on Tuesday, Google denied having offered paid training and job to Harshit.
Bharti said Harshit hasn’t eaten since Tuesday and is hospitalised.
“Doctors say he is traumatised. Those who were congratulating us are now taunting us,” she said.
Claiming they did not want to blame the principal or any teacher, Bharti said: “Harshit only told her about the call.”
‘Family evading authorities’
However, Beniwal maintained that Harshit forwarded a copy of the offer letter to a teacher through WhatsApp.
The principal alleged Harshit’s family had been evading the authorities and there phone number were also switched off.
Meanwhile, Beniwal has submitted a report to the education department after it ordered a probe on Tuesday.
It is learnt the principal has stated that she was on leave and got information about the boy getting a job offer through two teachers. She has also forwarded messages exchanged between the teachers and Harshit’s family and the offer letter. She has also appended videos of celebrations at Harshit’s ancestral place in Kurukshetra.
The report will be made public on Thursday.
“I have received the report, but not seen it yet,” said Rubinderjit Singh Brar, UT director, school education.