Gurdaspur women teachers file bribery, harassment charges against BPEO

Several women teachers of Qadian (2) and Fatehgarh Churian education blocks of Gurdaspur district have levelled allegations of harassment, bribery and intimidation against Block Primary Education Officer (BPEO) Pohla Singh, a retired Army man.

Four female and a male teacher — Sukhpreet Gill, Kamalpreet Kaur, Hardeep Kaur, Palwinder Kaur and head teacher Varinder Singh — today came forward publicly to expose “his activities”. They said they could no longer put up with the BPEO’s “reprehensible behaviour”, hence they unanimously decided to go public with their views.

On September 28, a woman teacher, Sukhpreet Gill, who has toured Finland under a knowledge exchange programme, had filed a police complaint with the DSP, Fatehgarh Churian. She claimed that on August 28, Pohla Singh had put a social media post in a group exclusively meant for primary teachers pertaining to her late father, who is a former DSP.

Gill said, “Pohla Singh used highly insulting and inappropriate language in the post. There are nearly two hundred teachers in the group. He has brought down my family’s dignity and integrity with his actions. The police should take action against him.”

She has sent copies of her complaint to the Chief Minister, the Education Minister, the Secretary (Education), the DGP, the Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner (DC), the Punjab State Commission for Women and the District Education Officer (DEO). A similar complaint has been filed by her brother, Amandeep Singh, a head constable. He has sent his petition to the SSP, Batala.

When contacted, Pohla Singh denied he had written anything against Sukhpreet Gill’s father. “These are frivolous complaints. The fact is that some government grants are credited to the school management committee (SMC). These are used directly by the teachers. When I asked about the details of the money spent, these women teachers formed a group and started complaining against me,” he said.

To this, Gill retorted, “I have proof of the post and have attacked it with my complaint given to the police. We were asked to construct a badminton court in the school premises. I have maintained proper accounts of the construction. Still, the BPEO harasses me and asks for bribes on one pretext or the other.”

Two teachers, Kamalpreet Kaur and Hardeep Kaur, said last year the BPEO had threatened them with dire consequences if they went against him. “When he did not stop his harassment, I filed a complaint with the Batala SSP. The SSP, in turn, marked our petition to DSP Lalit Kumar. The BPEO apologised in the presence of the DSP and added that he would never humiliate us again. However, his revengeful attitude surfaced recently when I requested him for a no-objection certificate (NOC) as I had to go abroad. For several days, he kept me deliberately waiting, following which I had to cancel my tour. Even after tendering an apology in front of the police, he has not stopped his misdemeanours,” said Kamalpreet Kaur.

Pohla Singh flatly denied her allegations. To this, Kamalpreet said, “I have a copy of his apology letter. He takes perverse pleasure in degrading us. The authorities should transfer him to some other place so women teachers feel safe.”

Paramjit Kaur, DEO (Primary), admitted that she had received several complaints against the BPEO. “Several complaints have been filed against him. We have forwarded them to the head office. Moreover, he is the in-charge of two blocks out of which we are taking back one from him. Further action will be taken by the headquarters,” she said.

The Democratic Teachers Front (DTF), a teachers’ union which looks after their interests, has taken up cudgels on behalf of the women teachers. Balwinder Kaur, president of the DTF women cell, said “We will take the fight against Pohla Singh to its logical conclusion. Several other women have also complained against him. We are seeking justice for them.”