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Ludhiana: SC commission orders transfer of head teacher
The commission said it received a complaint from teacher Narinderpal Kaur on January 27 alleging discrimination by head teacher Sukhdhir Singh Sekhon.
The Punjab State Scheduled Caste Commission has directed the education department to transfer the head teacher of Government Model Primary School, Moti Nagar, Ludhiana, following allegations of caste-based discrimination by a female teacher. The commission said the transfer was necessary to ensure a fair and unbiased investigation.
In a letter to the Director of Education issued on Tuesday, the commission said it received a complaint from teacher Narinderpal Kaur on January 27 alleging discrimination by head teacher Sukhdhir Singh Sekhon.
During a hearing held on February 3, district education officer (DEO) Dimple Madan appeared before the panel. The commission observed that while the complainant had been transferred to another station, no action had been taken against the head teacher. It noted that Sekhon’s continued presence at the school could influence the probe and ordered his transfer to another station during the pendency of the investigation.
Expressing satisfaction with the order, Narinderpal Kaur said the head teacher had been targeting her for a long time through derogatory remarks. “He made comments on my complexion and created an environment where I felt discriminated against for my identity,” she said.
She alleged that despite being present at school on November 28 and 29, 2025, she was not allowed to mark her attendance. “I was told that my attendance in my class was low and I should explain the reason. However, after I approached the DEO, I was allowed to mark my attendance on November 29,” she claimed. She said she wrote to the DEO on December 1 complaining about the alleged discrimination.
“As a mark of protest, I stopped paying the monthly ₹300 collected from teachers for school cleaning,” Kaur said, alleging that following this, the head teacher locked the toilets to harass her. “Other teachers had the keys, but I had to use a toilet outside the school. In this way, my health and safety as a woman were affected, creating an insulting atmosphere for me,” she said.
Kaur said her complaints to the DEO did not resolve the issue, prompting her to approach the SC Commission and also write to the chief minister and the Women’s Commission.
She, however, clarified that no one had made casteist remarks to her directly. “The discrimination was subtle—through comments made behind my back and an environment that made me feel discriminated against,” she said.
The school has 13 teachers, including the head teacher, of whom six belong to the Scheduled Caste category. Kaur acknowledged that none of the other SC teachers reported discrimination. “I was the only one who felt discriminated against. The comments about my complexion and the actions taken against me made me feel targeted for my caste identity,” she asserted.
Denying the allegations, Sekhon said the teacher was lax in her duties and that a complaint regarding low attendance in her class was sent to the block primary education officer in mid-November. “She made these allegations after that,” he said, also claiming that she had been found marking notebooks incorrectly.
He said she was not the only teacher asked to explain low attendance. “Another teacher was also asked for an explanation,” he said, adding that a departmental inquiry conducted on December 26 did not support her claims. “I asked the DEO on January 10 to constitute a proper inquiry committee. My reputation was being tarnished and I had nothing to hide,” he said, alleging that she refused to submit an affidavit and instead staged a protest outside the DEO office.
Narinderpal Kaur, however, maintained that the allegations against her were intended to discredit her and suppress her complaint of discrimination.
