Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The appointment of a principal accused of abetting a guest teacher's suicide to Government Girls' School, Jahangirabad, has sparked protests by the school's teachers.
According to the report, principal Shriprakash Vijayvargiya, who is accused of harassing a female teacher and of abetting the suicide of a guest teacher, has been appointed principal of the school on administrative grounds.
The transfer was reportedly approved by the department after obtaining the minister's consent.
The appointment has drawn strong opposition from the school's women teachers, who submitted a written complaint to School Education Minister Uday Pratap Singh, the principal secretary and the Commissioner of Public Instruction (DPI), demanding that the order be revoked.
They argued that the school is highly sensitive as it caters to underprivileged girls and that appointing a principal facing such serious allegations sends the wrong message.
Transfer under cloud
Vijayvargiya's transfer comes despite an ongoing case in the Madhya Pradesh High Court. Earlier, a female teacher filed a complaint accusing him of workplace harassment, and several school employees also raised concerns about his conduct.
The report recalls the case of Akash Yadav, a guest teacher at Government Excellence Higher Secondary School, Narsinghgarh, who died by suicide about three years ago.
Before his death, he allegedly wrote in a suicide note that principal Vijayvargiya was mentally harassing him.
