Headmistress accuses Edu Dept officials of harassment

Tribune News Service

Nawanshahr, March 18

Minakshi Bhalla, headmistress at Government High School, Sanawa (Nawanshahr), has accused officials of the District Education Department of causing her undue mental harassment.

In her complaint addressed to the District Education Officer, copies of which have been forwarded to the DPI (SE) and the Secretary, Education Department, Punjab, she alleged that her case of clearing probation period after completing three years of service as headmistress was being delayed for the past about two months by raising recurring objections.

She said on March 1, the case was rejected for want of the certificate regarding passing the departmental test, which has never been conducted by the department. However, she applied again the very next day explaining that no such test had been conducted. “Thereafter on March 10, other objections, which included photograph on the self-declaration was not having cross signatures and undertaking by the applicant is lacking were raised”, she added.

Bhalla said these objections were cleared by her on the same day. But now after one week, other objections, which included, inquiry is pending and a copy of the verification of degrees has not been attached, have been raised.

“Irked over unnecessary and baseless recurring objections, today, I met the District Education Officer Kultaranjit Singh and asked him the reasons behind such harassment being meted out to me,” rued Minakshi, while adding that the DEO was evasive to her queries about showing her the proof of any inquiry pending against her.

She claimed there was no inquiry under Rule 8 and 10 pending against her. “Moreover, as per the instructions of the Education Department, it was the duty of the DEOs to get the verification of the degrees done from the universities. Even if it has to be done from my side, why hasn’t the DEO office sent any intimation in this regard to me,” she added.

Making an appeal to the higher authorities to look into the matter, Meenakshi said she wanted immediate clearance of her probation otherwise she would be forced to take legal action to fix responsibility of the District Education Officer to compensate for financial loss as well as mental harassment she faced due to unnecessary delay.

Meanwhile, DEO Kultaranjit Singh while denying the allegations said the headmistress, despite repeated requests by the DEO office, had not submitted the proofs related to verification of her documents and completion of charge-sheet of 2020. Besides, the DC, Nawanshahr, has marked a complaint against her to the DEO office, the inquiry of which is underway, therefore, till these objections are cleared, the probation could not be cleared.