Villagers strike over teacher’s marriage

Woman stands her ground after school is shut, says inter-caste marriage is not a crime

Villagers have shut down a government school in Bihar after one of its teachers entered into an inter-caste marriage. Angry villagers have threatened not to allow the functioning of the school until the said teacher is transferred.

The matter took place at the upgraded high school at Ashiani village, located under Kadwa block, in eastern Bihar’s Katihar district.

Authorities said the villagers were incensed after Sushma Kumari, a woman teacher at the school, entered into an inter-caste wedlock with a local man and then began teaching the children there.

The main concern of the villagers is that the incident will have a “bad impact” and encourage the younger generation to follow her example.

Reports said initially the teacher had stopped coming to school following heavy protests from the villagers. Subsequently she went on long leave. The problem surfaced last week again when she suddenly returned to work and began teaching, forcing the villagers lock up the school.

“The main demand of the villagers is that said lady teacher should be immediately removed from the school in the better interests of the society,” the local block development office Kumar Saurabh told Gulf News over the phone on Thursday. According to him, the villagers are apprehensive of the fact that such incidents would only “corrupt” the society in the long run.

“We have intimated the entire developments to our seniors and sought for guidance to act in the matter,” he said.

We have intimated the entire developments to our seniors and sought for guidance to act in the matter.” Kumar Saurabh | Local official

Teacher not bothered

However, the teacher is not the least bothered by the protest and has defended her decision.

“Is opting for inter-caste wedlock a crime? If it is, then surely I have committed the crime. I am not bothered by what people think of me,” she told the local media.

Ironically, the state government in Bihar is encouraging such marriages in the society and only last year, authorities even enhanced the financial assistance from Rs25,000 (Dh1,473) to Rs50,000 to encourage more such weddings which, it claims, will create social harmony.