THOOTHUKUDI: Staging a sit-in protest at the Kovilpatti RDO office here on Friday, a 60-year-old woman sought a detailed investigation against the management of a government aided school, where she had worked for nearly 10 years, alleging that the management issued her a fake termination letter and had been usurping her salary for several years. C Siriyapushpam of Indira Nagar near Kovilpatti staged the protest along with her daughter and grandchildren against Muthukaruppan Memorial School, run by Muthukaruppan trust and aided under the Adi Dravidar Welfare Department, of swindling her earnings all through the years.
In a petition submitted to the RDO, Siriyapushpam said that she was appointed as a sweeper in the school by the district collector, considering her plight as a widow, in 2011. However, she was terminated by the management on July 1, 2022 without any prior notice. "Despite submitting multiple petitions to the Adi Dravidar Welfare Department and the collector, no one questioned the management's decision or took steps to reinstate me," she said.
The fraud came to light when Siriyapushpam went to pledge some jewellery at the Pasuvanthanai branch of Tamil Nadu Grama Bank, where she maintained her salary account. On her in-laws request, the bankers gave the account statement and they realised that salary was being credited to her account after 2020 as well, and the school management had been drawing the money. Subsequently, the family learnt that Siriyapushpam was served a fake termination letter, and salary was credited till her retirement age.
Siriyapushpam told TNIE that the management had collected her bank passbook, ATM card, cheque books, apart from her appointment order, when she joined the school. "When I was terminated, they refused to return all the documents, including the termination order. When my family members questioned the management of the unlawful usage of my bank account, Principal K Balamurugan did not give a proper response and threatened them not to visit the school again," she said.
Siriyapushpam further said that while working in the school, she was given only Rs 6,500 as monthly salary. "As per the bank statement, my account was credited with Rs 24,000 in 2020, and my last salary, as on October 12, 2023, was Rs 32,250," she lamented. Meanwhile, her son-in-law Kannan alleged that the school management, officials of Adi Dravidar welfare department and the bank managers had acted collusively to draw the salary. "Though similar complaints were levelled against the school before, none of them were investigated," he added.
According to official sources, as many as 159 teachers officially work at Muthukaruppan Memorial School and receive government salary on behalf of the Adi Dravidar Welfare Department. When contacted, many of the teachers concurred with Siriyapushpam, and said, "Our bank records, including cheques, passbooks and ATM cards, are in possession of the management. We have to sign a cheque every month to get the salary in cash. The management will draw the entire salary and then give us only a few thousands. They also threatened to dismiss us from our jobs if we questioned them," they said.
"While the government credits a monthly salary of Rs 90,000 in the bank account of a teacher, the management gives her only Rs 25,000 per month," said a teacher on conditions of anonymity. PG teacher cum primary secretary Balamurugan was not available for comments. Meanwhile, the Kovilpatti RDO has assured to inquire into the allegations on Monday.