Teachers protest attack on colleague, demand enhanced security measures

Teachers of the Government Senior Secondary School in Nagla Roran village gathered at the Mini-Secretariat on Monday to protest a violent attack on a colleague, Pawan Kumar, by the parents of a student. They raised serious concerns about the safety and security in the school for them and demanded the higher authorities concerned to ensure safety measures.

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The altercation began on Friday when a Class VIII student was reprimanded by a teacher for chewing gum in the classroom. Enraged over the scolding, the student left the school and returned with his father and uncle, who allegedly attacked the teacher. Meanwhile, another teacher, Pawan Kumar, intervened, but he was attacked with a sharp-edged weapon. The brutal attack was captured on camera and widely shared on social media. In the video the attackers were seen abandoning the injured teacher, who was in need of hospitalisation after the attack.

Following the attack, teachers confined the assailants in a room, but they broke free and fled before the police arrived. The Kunjpura police have arrested the accused, identified as Sher Khan and Balwan, on the charges of attempted murder. “Both the accused have been arrested, and a PCR van has been stationed outside the school,” said Inspector Mahabir, SHO Kunjpura.

In response to the incident, Deputy DEO Jyotsana Mishra assured teachers of immediate action to improve their safety. “A PCR van will remain stationed near the school, CCTV cameras will be installed, and a chowkidar has been appointed by the panchayat to ensure security,” she said.

Teachers highlighted the issue of safety and threatened to not join their duty until the security measures were put in place. They also demanded the authorities concerned shift them to another school. “We will not go to this school as there is no chowkidar there, and the height of the walls is very low, due to which anyone can enter the school,” said a teacher.

“Instead of going to school, we came here to the DEO’s office to report for our duty. We demanded to be shifted to any other school where we can perform our duty fearlessly,” said another teacher.

The teachers were pacified by the assurance of the deputy DEO, after which they returned to work. The Deputy DEO urged the teachers to resume their classes, assuring them that all necessary measures would be taken to prevent such incidents in the future.

Ramesh Kumar, president of Adhyapak Sangh, strongly condemned the attack and demanded strict action against the attackers. “Such incidents discourage teachers from performing their duties fearlessly. The authorities concerned must ensure a secure working environment for the teachers,” he said.

Raj Kumar, another teacher, emphasised the larger issue of a lack of safety for teachers that the attack reflected. “Schools should be places of learning and respect. We hope this incident compels the authorities concerned to prioritise teacher safety,” he added.