Caste bias at Nabha school: Principal, 15 others transferred

DALIT GIRL HARASSED FOR REFUSING TO HELP BOYS FROM DOMINANT CASTE CHEAT IN CLASS 10 EXAMINATION

NABHA: The state education department on Saturday transferred principal and 15 other staff members of Tohra village government school where a Dalit girl was allegedly harassed for refusing to help upper-caste boys cheat in examination.

A letter issued by the department, a copy of which is with the correspondent, states that the decision was taken based on recommendations of deputy commissioner’s report which stated that the staff should be transferred to protect the school environment from being ‘spoiled’.

While principal Jagjit Singh has been transferred to Maandvi in Sangrur district, clerk Jasveer Singh has been sent to the district education office in Kapurthala. Other teachers have been transferred within the district. Seven teachers have also been moved to to Tohra village government school.

WHAT’S THE CASE

Veerpal Kaur, a student of Class 11 at Government Senior Secondary School, Tohra, had filed a complaint regarding harassment with the Punjab State Scheduled Castes (SC) Commission in November and an inquiry was marked to Patiala deputy superintendent of police (DSP), Jaskirat Singh.

Another inquiry was held by a five-member committee headed by Patiala district education officer (DEO) Kamal Kumari who has submitted his report.

Later in the week, SC welfare minster and Nabha MLA Sadhu Singh Dharmsot along with Patiala deputy commissioner Kumar Amit visited the school and set up a third panel to look into the incident and told it to submit a report in two days. The panel was headed by assistant commissioner (grievances).

In May last year, a video in which the girl being pushed around by some boys and the clerk on the school campus had gone viral. After the results were out, a note was circulated on social media claiming that Veerpal secured good marks since she was helped by a teacher on phone while she was taking the exam.

PROTESTS IN CITY

A number of unions, meanwhile, are holding a protest outside the deputy commissioner’s office here. Along with the demand of arrest of an accused in a rape case, protesters are demanding justice for the Dalit girl. The union members had met at Ravi Dass temple earlier in the day after which they marched to the DC office. They continue to sit on a dharna.