Workplace harassment? UP teacher found hanging in headmaster’s room at school; colleagues cite illness, depression

LUCKNOW: The body of a 40-year-old govt teacher was found hanging from a ceiling fan inside the headmaster's room of the Composite School in Udhavapur village under the Harakh block in Barabanki district on Saturday, triggering allegations of workplace harassment by her family and a parallel claim by colleagues that she was battling prolonged illness and depression.The deceased, Uma Verma, was found hanging from a ceiling fan by the school staff at around 11.45am.Police reached the spot and sent the body for post-mortem examination. Further legal action will depend on the findings and formal complaint from the family, police said.Uma was a resident of Jalalpur under Kotwalinagar police station area. Her husband, Rishi Verma, is posted as assistant teacher at a school in Tedwa village of Siddhaur block.Rishi said he spoke to Uma over the phone at around 10am, during which she did not indicate anything unusual. However, he claimed that Uma earlier shared with him that the school headmaster and some colleagues often passed comments and troubled her.Uma's brother, Shivkant, accused the headmaster and two assistant teachers of mentally harassing Uma over the past three years, due to which her health deteriorated and she slipped into depression.He said that she was undergoing treatment for depression from a psychiatrist, Dr Sandeep Buddhwar, in Barabanki.However, fellow teachers maintained that Uma was suffering from illness and depression for several years and that there was no recent dispute or harassment inside the school. Basic shiksha adhikari (BSA), Naveen Pathak and block education officer (BEO), Harakh, Ashwani Kumar Singh conducted a preliminary inquiry.Singh said, "Uma never submitted any complaint regarding harassment. She was under treatment for depression for several years. Even on Saturday, she spoke about her illness at the school".