JAGATSINGHPUR: A Physical Education Teacher (PET) of Purna Chandra Vidya Mandir at Raghunathpur was suspended for posting an obscene photograph in an unofficial WhatsApp group of the District Education Office (DEO) on Friday. The PET, Akshya Kumar Mohanty, had earlier been retrenched from Physical Inspector (PI) post.
As per the provision, senior-most PET teachers are posted as PI. But Mohanty had managed to obtain the post by alleged manipulations in 2014. Faced with opposition from other teachers, the School and Mass Education department retrenched him from the post in 2016. But again he was reinstated and posted as PI following an order by the Director of the department in 2017.
Challenging his appointment, a PET teacher Guru Charan Behera of BB High School of Goda under Erasama block and others filed a writ petition in 2017 in Orissa High Court which directed the department to remove Mohanty from the PI post. Acting on the HC order, the Director of the department dismissed him on July 2 this year and posted him as PET at Purna Chandra Vidya Mandir.
Being aggrieved over the decision, Mohanty posted obscene photographs in the Whatsapp group which was opened by the driver of District Education Officer recently. After the post went viral in other social media groups, locals teachers lodged complaints with the DEO who reportedly suppressed the issue in order to avoid tarnishing image of the department.
Locals and teachers took up the issue with Collector Sangram Keshari Mohapatra who directed DEO Prativa Manjari Das to take stern action against the errant PET.