JAGATSINGHPUR: Peeved over alleged police inaction against an accountant of Kujang block education office over allegations of misappropriation of their Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), irate teachers have threatened to stage dharna on Saturday.
The accused accountant Manoj Kumar Tripathy of Srirampur within Tirtol police limits, allegedly transferred Rs 17.69 lakh of the total Rs 22.69 lakh from the EPF of retired teachers, in phases to his personal account towards investing in his business firm ‘Maa Padmabati Enterprise’ at Rahama.
EPF is a retirement benefit scheme provided by the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) in which both the employer and the employee equally contribute 12 per cent of the basic salary and dearness allowance on a monthly basis.
However several retired teachers last week complained that they were deprived of their EPF share as retirement benefit. Similar allegations were received from other teachers like Sikshya Sahayaks and grant-in-aid (GIA) teachers who complained that they received a differential amount on their EPF share in their accounts.
Later, Kujang block education officer (BEO) Pabitra Mohan Kar conducted an inquiry following which it came to the fore that Tripathy had embezzled around Rs 17.69 lakh from the EPF. The BEO filed an FIR with Kujang police on Wednesday in the matter. “I have also enclosed a bank scroll and inquiry report in the FIR and further sought the intervention of collector and district education officer in the matter,” the BEO said.
Meanwhile, teachers’ leader-cum-president of Zilla Parishad Teachers Association Kesab Dalai said two days have passed since the FIR was lodged but no action has yet been taken against the errant accountant. “Besides, nothing has been done to recover the said amount from the accountant and so the teachers have decided to stage dharna in front of the block education office on Saturday,” he added.
Contacted, Kujang IIC Sujit Kumar Pradhan said the FIR lodged by the BEO was incomplete and so no action was taken against the accountant. “We have asked the BEO to lodge the FIR after a thorough inquiry by a committee. Only then we can take further action,” he added.