THE BATTLE OF ‘ARBITRAIRINESS VERSUS JUSTICE’ IN THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

THE BATTLE OF ‘ARBITRAIRINESS VERSUS JUSTICE’ IN THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

23-JAN-ENG 16

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

BUXAR------------------------A sensational case exposing the lack of accountability in the Buxar Education Department has surfaced again. Shockingly, the clear orders of senior officials such as the then DDC, Sadar SDM, and District Public Grievance Redressal Officer have been openly ignored for the past three years.

A sensational case exposing the lack of accountability in the Buxar Education Department has surfaced again. Shockingly, the clear orders of senior officials such as the then DDC, Sadar SDM, and District Public Grievance Redressal Office have been openly ignored for the past three years. Instead of taking action against the headmaster and teacher found guilty, the files were deliberately suppressed.

The case is related to Sarimpur Urdu Middle School in Sadar block, where Headmaster Kamala Prasad and teacher Amit Chaudhary had accused the then sub-divisional employee Manish Chandra of coming to the school and using abusive language in October 2020.

The allegations were serious, but when an investigation was conducted, the picture turned out to be completely different. The investigation conducted by the then DDC and Sadar SDM, based on the statements of villagers and documents, clearly revealed that the allegations were completely false and fabricated. Following this, in January 2023, both senior officials sent a letter to the District Education Officer (DEO) ordering strict action against the headmaster and the teacher.

The matter reached the District Public Grievance Redressal Office, which also directed action against the culprits. Despite this, the Education Department neither took any action against the headmaster nor followed the orders. The victim alleges that departmental officials deliberately suppressed the matter and protected the culprits. Surprisingly, three years later, disciplinary action has now been initiated only against teacher Amit Chaudhary, while the headmaster remains untouched.

This entire case has raised serious questions about the functioning of the Education Department. The allegations of defying orders, selective action, and protecting the guilty are now becoming a major headache for the department. Meanwhile, DEO Sandeep Ranjan admitted that the matter is serious and that orders may not have been followed in the past. He assured that the entire matter will now be reviewed and the orders of senior officials will be complied with. It remains to be seen whether justice will finally prevail after three years, or whether this case too will be buried in the files.