Teachers in ‘dry’ Bihar protest order to tip off govt on tipplers

Opposition also up in arms, RJD says it could endanger the lives of teachers by bringing them in direct conflict with powerful “liquor mafia”.

Teachers’ bodies in “dry” Bihar have strongly protested the state government’s directive issued on Friday that school teachers and headmasters should keep a watch for liquor smugglers and consumers and report them to authorities.

Seized liquor bottles in Bihar, where total ban on liquor was imposed in April 2016. (HT)

“This is condemnable. Teachers should not be expected to do the police job. This is a strange order,” said Kedar Nath Pandey, president of Bihar Secondary Teachers’ Association (BSTA) and a member of Legislative Council (MLC).

Education minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary, however, sought to play down the matter. “The government has been appealing to people in general to be vigilant against smugglers and habitual violators of the prohibition law, which has been enforced with a good intention. The order is just an extension of the general appeal. The teachers have not been given any target,” he said.

BSTA general secretary and former MP Shatrughan Prasad Singh said, “There have been reports in the media about killings of those passing information on liquor smugglers or consumers to authorities. As far as use of school campuses by liquor consumers is concerned, the first thing required is a boundary wall in all the schools and strong iron gates,” he said, also citing provisions of the New Education Policy to keep teachers away from non-academic work.

Ashwini Pandey, president of TET-STET qualified teachers’ association, said it was strange for the government to expect unarmed teachers with no support to do what its own police failed to do in the last six years. “This will only put them and their entire families at risk,” he said.

Pradeep Kumar Pappu of the primary teachers’ association said that they would organise protests in all districts on January 30. “Earlier, the government had directed teachers to sell gunny bags used for storing Mid-day meal and keep a watch on open defecation. It is high time teachers were left to do teaching only, else the department should merge with police or prohibition department,” he said.

Congress MLC Premchandra Mishra also tweeted that the order be withdrawn. “Teachers’ job is to teach, not to spot bootleggers and boozers,” he added.

RJD chief spokesman and MLA Bhai Virendra termed the order as “Tughlaqi” (arbitrary) and one which could endanger the lives of teachers by bringing them in direct conflict with powerful “liquor mafia”.

The Bihar government has been in an overdrive in the wake of serial hooch tragedies that have claimed more than 50 lives across half a dozen districts since November last year, bringing the prohibition law imposed in April 2016 under serious scrutiny.