The officiating principal of a government school in Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia district has been suspended and steps have been started to end the services of a contractual instructor after a video showed students being served rotis and vegetables directly in their hands instead of on plates, officials said on Wednesday.
District Basic Education Officer Manish Kumar Singh said the video surfaced on social media on July 31 and was purportedly from the Composite School in Palia village under the Siyar education block.
A preliminary inquiry found that teachers and other staff posted at the school had failed to carry out their official responsibilities.
According to Singh, the inquiry found that the incident had taken place on April 20. It also found that the video was recorded on the mobile phone of contractual instructor Nirmala Bharti with the alleged intention of blackmailing the school’s officiating principal, Kiran Devi.
Based on the findings, Devi was suspended with immediate effect on Tuesday on charges of gross negligence, lack of effective leadership and failure to report the incident to senior departmental authorities, Singh said.
A departmental inquiry has also been ordered, with Navanagar Block Education Officer Pankaj Kumar Singh appointed as the inquiry officer. He has been asked to submit a fact-based report within 15 days.
Singh said strict warnings have been issued to Shiksha Mitra Indrajeet Yadav, another instructor Rita Devi, and four cooks in connection with the incident. Proceedings have also been initiated to terminate Bharti’s contractual appointment.
In sum, the district authorities have taken action against several school staff members after the viral video and the preliminary inquiry into the serving of food to students without plates.
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