Chandigarh: As soon as the news of a Chandigarh boy bagging Rs 1.44 crore job offer from Google trickled in, the word spread like wildfire and congratulatory messages started pouring in from all corners of the country.
It was on Saturday that the Chandigarh administration released a press note about Harshit Sharma’s achievement. The release claimed that Google would pay Sharma Rs 12 lakh per month as salary upon the completion of one-year training. During training, it was claimed that the 16-year-old would receive a stipend of Rs 4 lakh per month.
However, on Tuesday, Google denied having offered paid training and job to the Government Model Senior Secondary School student.
After the controversy, the GMSSS shared with media an offer letter Sharma allegedly forwarded to a teacher. However, Bharti Sharma, the mother of the 16-year-old boy, had a different story to tell.
Bharti told Hindustan Times on Wednesday that the incident had “devastated” her son’s life.
Talking to the daily, Bharti, a teacher from Kurukshetra, said her son received a hoax call, and not a letter, apprising him of his selection for the post of a graphic designer.
“Harshit got a phone call. We did not believe it at first. I kept telling him it could be a hoax,” said the mother. “He shared the information with his school principal, who further released a press note, which led to media coverage.”
Chandigarh student Harshit Sharma, who falsely claimed Google hired him, being probed
Bharti said once the news was published and mediapersons started calling them, they also thought the job offer was authentic.
“We thought the principal has some confirmation,” she said.
Bharti asserted that Harshit Sharma did not provide any offer letter to the school.
She added that her son has been admitted to hospital and hasn’t eaten anything since Tuesday.
“Doctors say he is traumatised. Those who were congratulating us are now taunting us,” she said.
However, GMSSS principal Indra Beniwal maintained that Harshit Sharma forwarded a copy of the offer letter to a teacher through WhatsApp.
"Harshit's parents have accepted that their son has committed a mistake (by claiming to have been selected by Google)," Beniwal said today.
Sharma hails from Mathana in Haryana's Kurukshetra district.
Public Relations Department, Chandigarh Administration, had on July 29 issued a press note which said, "A student of GMSSS-33D, Chandigarh, Class 12 (IT) stream, Harshit, has been selected for graphic designing by Google. He will be trained for graphic designing for an initial period of one year and will receive a stipend of Rs 4 lakh per month."
"After completion of his training, he will get a remuneration of Rs 12 lakh per month. He went for an online interview through video conferencing and was selected on the basis of posters designed by him while studying in class 12 under the supervision of his teachers," it had said.
"His achievements will act as a morale booster for other students and they will be inspired to make forays into this field," the release had said.
