Tilakwada teacher dies after suicide attempt; widow blames DEO for bribe ‘mental torture and bribe’

Baria​, who had consumed pesticide to end his life on November 26, remained in a comatose state in a local ​hospital and succumbed on Wednesday night. His widow, Mina, has alleged ​in her application to the police ​that the Narmada DEO Arvind Patel’s “mental torture” drove her husband, who has worked as a primary school teacher for over 30 years, to suicide.

A resident of Fatehpur village in Tilakwada, Baria, who was serving as a primary school teacher in Amalia village in Tilakwada for the last one year, was transferred to another government primary school in Savli village of the taluka on November 11. However, according to the teacher’s widow, Mina, “My husband was transferred to Savli government primary school on November 11 and when he went there, the Principal told him that he had heard about his inefficiency as ​a teacher​​ and did not want him to teach the children there. Disappointed, my husband decided to approach the DEO on the same day. I accompanied him to the DEO office in Rajpipla where the DEO insulted my husband and abused him, rejecting his pleas.” Mina says, a day later on November 12, Baria received a phone call, allegedly from the office of the DEO who asked Baria to pay Rs 50000 to seek a “transfer to a government school of his choice”. Mina says that Baria began collecting the money to pay for the transfer as the Principal of Savli school had refused to allow him to report to duty. She alleges that on November 26, after collecting Rs 30000, Baria received a call from a mobile number 9712749493, asking him to wait at the highway junction near Utavadi in Tilakwada. “When the man arrived there, he abused my husband and pushed him into the gutter because he was not able to manage the entire sum of Rs 50000. My husband returned home with the rejected money and took the drastic step,” Mina said, adding that the cell phone number had been switched off ever since Baria consumed the pesticide.

When contacted, ​Patel ​denied Mina’s allegations of having demanded a bribe from Baria and said, “The teacher Ranchhod Baria was transferred as part of the procedure to shift teachers in surplus from one school to where they are needed. He did not report to work at the Savli school after his transfer and we had even sent him a reminder to join work by registered post. He has not given any written application seeking transfer of expressing his disappointment to us before attempting suicide. As far as asking for bribe for transfer are concerned, his wife should produce some proof to substantiate her allegation.”

Officers of the Tilakwada police ​station said the investigation in the case have been initiated to ascertain Mina’s claims.