Odisha school headmaster suspended over alleged sexual harassment complaints

So far, four girls have levelled allegations against him, but the number of cases might increase as this has been happening for a long time now

Published on: Aug 26, 2022, 11:13:58 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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The headmaster of a government-run school in Odisha was suspended over allegations of sexually harassing primary class girl students.

The girl had complained to her parents about teacher who allegedly touching her inappropriately (HT file photo)

Officials said the headmaster of a Nursing upper primary school in Deogaon block of Bolangir district was suspended for allegedly sexually harassing a girl student of class 4.

The girl had complained to her parents about the headmaster allegedly touching her inappropriately.

The parents later lodged a complaint with the managing committee of the school and locked the teacher inside a classroom of the school demanding stringent action against him.

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The parents of other girl students complained that the headmaster was a repeated offender.

“So far, four girls have levelled allegations against him, but the number of cases might increase as this has been happening for a long time now. He used to call the girls to his chamber and touch them inappropriately. He would threaten them with dire consequences if they dared to narrate it to their parents,” said a parent.

Deogaon block education officer Govardhan Bhoi said the headmaster has been suspended pending a departmental probe.

In a separate case, the headmaster of an Adarsh Vidyalaya, a state-run English medium school, was suspended after he allegedly beat up a class 6 student with a steel pipe in an inebriated condition after the boy failed to answer his question.

The principal of Sundarapal Adarsha School under Hatadihi block in Keonjhar district had allegedly beaten up the boy early this week.

After the matter came to the fore, tension flared up at the locality as parents approached the sub-collector Anil Kumar Sethy demanding action against Barik.

The accused principal also admitted to his fault following which the sub-collector banned him from entering school.

“I received a call from parents in this regard. Earlier, I had received another complaint against him that he had mercilessly beaten up some students. Students personally told me that they were beaten up by the teacher without any reason. As alcohol consumption during office hours is illegal, he has been suspended,” said sub-collector Anil Kumar Sethy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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