Probe ordered into girls’ stripping in Batala school

Ravi Dhaliwal

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Tribune News Service

Batala, January 11

Punjab Education Minister Dr Daljit Singh Cheema has ordered an inquiry into the reported stripping of 13 girl students of a government school in Batala police district.

A woman teacher had done so on Friday afternoon after Rs 500 allegedly went missing from her wallet.

Dr Cheema said that District Education Officer (Elementary), Gurdaspur, has been appointed the inquiry officer and told to give his report within 15 days.

The minister has also directed DPI (Secondary Education) Balbir Singh to personally look into the case.

Dr Cheema said that strict action would be taken if the teacher was found guilty. He also issued instructions to all government schools that he would not tolerate any such incident in the future.

Batala SSP Inderbir Singh confirmed that the accused teacher, Harjit Kaur, who was teaching in a government girls’ middle school in Madiala village, falling under Ghuman police station, had allegedly stripped 13 girls of class VII in front of the rest of the class. However, she failed to find the currency note.

When the parents of the girls approached the SSP, he directed the Ghuman SHO to register a criminal case against the teacher.

The parents have also lodged a complaint against the teacher with school headmistress Gurdeep Kaur.

“On the complaint of the parents of one of the students, a case under Section 354 (assault or criminal force with intent to outrage modesty of woman), 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC and provisions of the SC/ST Act was registered against the accused — drawing teacher Harjit Kaur,” said the SSP.