In response to the suspension of an Art teacher in a government school last week, members of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) staged a protest outside the Collectorate here on Tuesday.
The teacher, Rajkumar, was suspended by Chief Educational Officer Balamurali for reasons including the use of images of political leaders on a letter pad and the alleged mention of a false teachers’ organisation. “These are not valid reasons for suspension. The teacher can be let off with a warning in such cases. This is why we suspect that there is some other issue in the school,” one of the members said.
Mr. Rajkumar, a day after his suspension order took effect, lodged a complaint with the Superintendent of Police, seeking action against the CEO.
In addition, several members said the CEO was unreachable and had not provided answers to why the teacher was suspended instead of being warned. The members also stated that the teacher was suspended for questioning the delay caused by the school in reporting a case of sexual abuse faced by a student in the school.
“The district administration and the police did not act on time with regards to a recent POCSO case, because the school kept the issue under wraps for several months,” the members alleged. The group has also submitted petitions to the District Collector, seeking action against the CEO for “suspending the teacher on false pretence”.
Mr. Balamurali was unavailable for comments despite multiple attempts to contact him.
