Bihar govt schoolteacher jailed for saying ‘nobody should vote for Modi’ in classroom

Muzaffarpur, May 19

A government schoolteacher in Bihar has been arrested and sent to jail for allegedly telling children in his class that “nobody should vote for Modi”, an official said on Sunday.

According to Muzaffarpur SSP Rakesh Kumar, the teacher has been booked for violating the election model code of conduct, after an FIR lodged by the district education officer.

DEO Ajay Kumar Singh said teacher Harendra Rajak’s conduct was brought to his notice by families of a number of students of the government secondary school at Amrakh in Kurhani block.

“A written complaint was submitted by the families that children were being told by the teacher that nobody should vote for Modi since food grains unfit for human consumption were being distributed under the free ration scheme,” the DEO said.

He said, “A number of boys and girls from the class also confirmed that Rajak had been saying such things in the classroom. Prima facie it was a violation of model code of conduct which forbids any government employee from trying to influence the poll outcome by speaking for or against any political party. Hence, the FIR was lodged against the teacher.”