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Journalism of Courage
More than three decades after his appointment, a government school teacher in Baghpat was dismissed by the Uttar Pradesh Education Department after an inquiry found that he had allegedly secured the job through fraudulent means.
Officials claimed the teacher, Vishnu Dutt Sharma, now in his 50s, had joined service 33 years ago by claiming recruitment on compassionate grounds following his father’s death — an assertion the probe later established as false.
A senior department official said the inquiry found no records to prove that Vishnu Sharma’s father had ever been employed with the Education Department, and concluded that he had secured the post using forged documents.
Vishnu Sharma has denied the charges and maintained that he will challenge the decision in court.
Confirming the action, Baghpat Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) Geeta Chaudhary said Vishnu Sharma had been serving in the department since 1991. A senior official said action will be initiated to recover the salary he had drawn during this period.
Hailing from Baghpat district, Vishnu Sharma was posted at a government school in Ghitauli.
According to officials, a complaint was filed with the Education Department last year alleging that he had fraudulently obtained his appointment on compassionate grounds. The complainant alleged that Vishnu Sharma’s father, Babu Ram Sharma, had never been employed as a teacher in the department.
Following the complaint, officials said an inquiry was conducted, which revealed that Vishnu Sharma had been appointed as an assistant teacher in Meerut in December 1991 and was subsequently promoted and transferred to Baghpat. The department concluded that there was no evidence to support the claim that Babu Ram Sharma had ever served in the Education Department.
When contacted, Vishnu Sharma rejected the allegations, calling them false. “The claim that my father was not a teacher is baseless. The department is asking me to provide documents proving his service, but those records are with the government,” he said.
He claimed that his father had passed away in November 1972 and that a formal death certificate was not obtained immediately, as he was just 15 days old at the time. “In the 1990s, I learned that jobs were being offered on compassionate grounds. That is when I got my father’s death certificate prepared and applied for the post,” he said.
Vishnu Sharma added that he could identify the schools where his father had worked and even connect officials with colleagues who had served alongside him. “Previously, three separate inquiries were conducted on the same matter, and I was cleared each time,” he claimed.
He said he learned only on Friday that his services had been terminated following a fresh inquiry. “I have no idea who conducted this fourth inquiry or on what grounds I have been dismissed. A family in my village, with whom we have had a long-standing enmity, has been repeatedly filing false complaints against me with the government,” he alleged.
He added that he now plans to appeal to the authorities for a fresh inquiry by a senior official. “If my request is ignored, I will approach the High Court against the decision.”
Officials did not reveal who filed the complaint against Vishnu Sharma.
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