Govt school principal accused of ‘sexual harassment’

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 24

A class IV employee of a government school in Kararwala village has accused the principal of sexually harassing her. The matter has reached the office of the District Education Officer (Secondary).

DEO (Secondary) Maninder Kaur said the class IV employee sent a complaint to the Director General of School Education (DGSE) and alleged that the school principal reached her home in an inebriated condition on May 13 and started molesting her.

The victim also alleged that it was common for the principal to ask her to come to the school on Saturdays and Sundays on the pretext of doing some work. The victim was given the job after her husband laid down his life on the border.

After receiving the complaint, the DGSE has directed the DEO to conduct an inquiry into the case. During the inquiry, the principal accepted that he had gone to the complainant’s house on May 13 and said as he was drunk, he couldn’t recall what happened at her house. The accused said he had got late while returning from the school and on his way, he went to her house.

The statement of the victim and principal were recorded in the presence of panchayat members of Kararwala and Gill Kalan villages.

The DEO said she had compiled a report of the inquiry and it would be sent to the DGSE, which would take further action in the case.

It is pertinent to mention here that it is the third case of sexual harassment reported from government schools of the district in the past few months.

DEO (Secondary) probes the matter 

• DEO (Secondary) Maninder Kaur said a class IV employee sent a complaint to the Director General of School Education (DGSE) and alleged that the school principal reached her home in an inebriated condition on May 13 and started molesting her. 
• The DEO said she had compiled a report of the inquiry and it would be sent to the DGSE, which would take further action in the case.