Delhi govt school principal transferred over sexual harassment complaint; probe underway

A female teacher from the school, requesting anonymity, said that the principal would constantly harass female teachers in the school on a daily basis

New Delhi

A male teacher, on the condition of anonymity, alleged that no action was taken against the principal despite multiple complaints to officials. (Representative photo)

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Thursday transferred the principal of a municipality school in Kishangarh over multiple complaints of sexual harassment and threats over the past two years, made by female teachers of the school. The move comes a day after the issue was raised in the MCD’s standing committee meeting.

A female teacher from the school, requesting anonymity, said that the principal would constantly harass female teachers in the school on a daily basis.

“He would keep staring at us, and would send obscene and threatening texts throughout the day, which he would later delete. He would also continuously abuse everyone and their families. All the female teachers have been traumatised and mentally exhausted by his behaviour over the years,” she said.

A male teacher, on the condition of anonymity, alleged that no action was taken against the principal despite multiple complaints to officials. The teachers said that in October, they approached Jagmohan Mehlawat, the area’s councillor, who raised the issue in the standing committee.

“As soon as the issue came to my notice, I initiated the process to dig deeper into the allegations. We have transferred the principal to a different school to ensure that independent investigation is carried out by the internal sexual harassment committee,” said Yogesh Verma, head of the MCD’s education committee.

Verma said that an inquiry into the case is currently ongoing.

In an order on Thursday, a copy of which was accessed by HT, the MCD said the principal was transferred to a school in Rohini.

However, the complainant teachers said they were dissatisfied with the action. The female teacher cited above said the action was not “befitting his post” and that he should be dismissed and blacklisted from school work.

“If someone does not respect women, why are they still being allowed to work in a school? He should be suspended, and an assessment should be done,” said Kuldeep Khatri, the president of the MCD teachers’ union.