JAIPUR: A senior teacher at a government school in Rajasthan's Sawai Madhopur district allegedly made girls from Classes 9 and 11 remove their clothes during a search after some money reportedly went missing.
This incident happened on Tuesday at the Government Senior Secondary School in Livali village, located in Bamanwas subdivision.
A day after the incident on Wednesday, villagers and family members, along with the students staged a massive protest.
According to complaints by the students, senior Hindi teacher Saraswati Meena, had lost around five hundred rupees. The teacher allegedly suspected the girls of classes 9 and 11 and under the guise of an investigation, she mentally harassed them and even forced them to remove their clothes.
The terrified students returned home and recounted their ordeal to their families.
On Wednesday morning, a large number of parents and villagers gathered outside the school, locked the main gate, and demanded strict action against the teacher in question. The students' families argued that their daughters had been humiliated and demanded the replacement of the entire staff at the school.
The accused teacher even threatened that any student who did not remove her clothes would have to pay a fine of five hundred rupees.
The protesters declared that their agitation would continue until action is taken against the concerned teacher and other staff responsible for the incident.
On receiving news of the school lockdown and the commotion, Chief Block Education Officer (CBEO) Pratibha Meena immediately arrived at the scene. Sensing the gravity of the matter from the students' statements, the CBEO submitted a detailed report to higher authorities.
"I recieved information about the incident involving senior Hindi teacher Saraswati Meena, specifically reports that female students were made to remove their clothes. After speaking with the students and verifying the facts, we found that the incident took place and it was reported to our department's senior officials subsequently," Pratibha said.
Taking serious note of the complaint, the department's Joint Director suspended the accused teacher, Saraswati Meena, with immediate effect.
During the suspension period, her headquarters will be the Office of the Chief Block Education Officer, Rajakheda, in Dholpur. The school's vocational education instructor, Vandana Sharma, has also been relieved of her duties.
Meanwhile, an inquiry has also been initiated into the role of Principal Manoj Kumar Meena.
Defending the school's handling of the incident, Manoj Kumar Meena said the teacher had apologised to the students. He added that the school administration had been asked to submit a written undertaking that such an incident would not recur, and therefore, the matter was not reported to higher authorities at the time.
However, Pratibha Meena acknowledged that Principal Manoj Meena attempted to suppress this extremely sensitive matter and failed to treat it with the necessary gravity.
In view of this negligence on the part of the head of the institution, a letter has been sent to higher authorities recommending disciplinary action against him.
The Education Department has also ordered an inquiry into the roles played by other teachers in this incident. Further action will be taken based on the inquiry report.