RAIPUR: Around 500 government school teachers in Koriya district of Chhattisgarh went on an indefinite strike on Monday protesting against the district collector allegedly slapping a school teacher for keeping the school locked during working hours.
The teachers demanded that an FIR be lodged against collector Narendra Dugga. The 2008-batch IAS officer, who was on a surprise inspection, had found that the government school at Turripani Sonhat block in Koriya was locked and that the premises were filthy. He met teacher Hira Singh outside the school and allegedly slapped him twice. Singh claimed that he had gone to pick up the students not attending class and the collector had humiliated him by assaulting him in front of the students.
Dugga, however, denied slapping the teacher. “Yes, I scolded him for remaining off duty during the school hours and neglecting maintaining clean premises. Now, he and his supporters are making an issue out of it. We will do everything possible to ensure that schools remain open”, Dugga told the New Indian Express. The teachers have lodged a police complaint against Dugga.