DPI (Schools) orders suspension of three teachers

Education Secretary Anuradha Gupta said the teachers were suspended for violating departmental instructions which clearly stipulate that no corporal punishment may be inflicted on students in schools. It has also been decided to chargesheet these teachers for major penalty. While K.P. Singh was the class teacher where Pinky was studying, Bhagirath Singh was the teacher on duty that day. K.P. Singh had taken the two girls to Ravinder Kaur, class teacher of Class VI A.

During the period of suspension they will report to the office of the DEO. A decision to this effect was taken today after going through the inquiry report, which was submitted to the Education Secretary on Tuesday, which contains the findings of the committee on the basis of statements of parents, students and teachers. Gupta said that a senior officer from outside the Education Department was included in the committee to ensure a fair inquiry into the matter.

Earlier, a departmental inquiry had been ordered by the Administration to find out what had actually happened in the school premises and whether the two girls had been beaten and humiliated by the teachers as alleged by certain people, including the parents of the girls and few students. "The Administration’s intention was to find out the truth with regard to quantum of corporal punishment given to the students so that appropriate action could be taken against the guilty without pressure from any quarter," she added. She clarified that it was only a departmental inquiry and they were not looking into whether the incident amounted to culpable homicide amounting to murder. This would be looked into by the police, she added.

The three-member committee comprised of the Director Social Welfare, Pirthi Chand, District Education Officer (DEO), Brahmjit Kalia and Assistant Director, Vocational Education, Pritpal Kaur, had which had submitted the report to the Education Secretary had held the teachers guilty of "mild beating". Seema, her parents and Pinky’s parents, in their statements, have accused the teachers of beating the girls in front of other students.

Seema denied stealing any money and said that her mother had given her money for buying notebooks.

The teachers in their statements are learnt to have denied the allegations of humiliation and beating and said they had merely scolded the girls and asked them to call their parents.

Meanwhile, a high power committee of the Government Teachers Union, in an emergency meeting held today, have decided to suspend teaching work in all government schools tomorrow to protest the Administration’s action and gather at 5.30 p.m. near Masjid Ground, Sector 20-A. The teachers will also boycott Teachers’ Day celebrations. Union leaders Harbir Singh Anand, Khushali Ram Sharma, Vinod Kumar and Jaspal Singh Tiwana have, in a joint statement, appealed to teachers to "support the victimised teachers". They alleged that the suspensions had "lowered the prestige of the teacher and will send a wrong message".