KUMUD JENAMANI
Jamshedpur, October 15: Police on Saturday arrested a middle-aged lady teacher allegedly for stripping a class IX student of a Sakchi-based girls’ school on Friday after which the girl attempted suicide by setting herself on fire.
Identified as Chandra Das, the teacher had stripped the girl in front of her fellow students on suspicion of cheating during an examination in the Sharadamoni Girls High School on Friday afternoon, leading the girl to make an attempt on her life in the night.
As the victim was subjected to utter humiliation by the teacher, she set herself on fire after pouring kerosene oil at her house in the Bhalubasa locality of the city, causing her to sustain a burn injury. The anxious family members rushed the victim to MGM medical college hospital from where she was shifted to Tata Main Hospital where her condition is said to be serious.
The matter assumed significance as the victim belongs to the Scheduled Caste community, triggering tension among the community in Bhalubasa and also in the social circle.
Taking strong exception to the episode, activists of the Jamshedpur unit of AJSU Party today staged a dharna in front of the Sharadamoni Girls High School demanding the arrest of the accused teacher.
After the matter came to the notice of the Sakchi thana, a team of police officials visited the school for enquiry. The police arrested the teacher after talking to the school authority and fellow students of the victim.
OC of Sakchi police station Sanjay Singh confirmed the arrest of the accused teacher.
“We have arrested a lady teacher of the Sharadamoni Valika Uccha Vidhyalay for her highhandedness against a class IX girl student. The student in question has made an attempt on her life due to the humiliation caused by the teacher. We are forwarding the accused to jail after producing her before a judicial magistrate, ” said the OC while talking to lagatar24.com.
The police officer, however, could not say whether the student in question resorted to unfair means during the examination or not, adding that the investigation into the matter is on.
