3 teachers suspended in Banka; notices to over 12 others

Patna: Three teachers have been suspended on charges of misconduct, assault and molestation, while more than a dozen others have been served show-cause notices for irregularity in marking attendance in Banka district. The action was taken on the directions of district programme officer (DPO) Sanjay Kumar Yadav.

Confirming the development, district education officer (DEO) Dev Narayan Pandit said departmental proceedings have been initiated against all the teachers following due investigation.

In Phulidumar block, a teacher, Md Kalam, was suspended after being found guilty of molesting a Class V student. The incident, reported on March 5, involved inappropriate touching. An inquiry found the allegations to be true.

In Belhar, physical education teacher Vijayant Kumar Singh was suspended for assaulting and verbally abusing a school attendant. The complaint was lodged by Hemant Rishikesh, in-charge headmaster of High School, Beldidah.

Similarly, Balwant Kumar, a teacher at Primary School, Maratikar, was suspended for failing to comply with the instructions of the headmaster.

The department also detected serious irregularities in the e-Shiksha Kosh attendance portal. Investigations revealed that several teachers were marking attendance online while staying in other districts, which has been treated as misconduct.

Teachers from Belhar, Dhoraiya, Katoria, Khadrahra and Rajaun blocks — including Rajesh Kumar, Pratap Kumar, Shambhu Kumar, Ashish Anand Thakur, Anand Lal Yadav, Viresh Prasad Yadav, Sone Lal Das, Durgesh Kumar, Ekramul Haque and Suman Kumar Yadav — have been asked to submit explanations over various issues.

Departmental action has been initiated in these cases as well.