The Assam Police will probe allegations by a teacher in the state’s Morigaion district that she was being forced by two of her senior colleagues to eat beef and convert to Islam, an official said on Wednesday.
Morigaon deputy commissioner Hamen Das said that two inquiries have been ordered into the allegations.
“We have asked the schools inspector to carry out an academic probe regarding the teacher whether she is regular or not. We have also asked the superintendent of police to inquire into the allegations about forcing her to eat beef and for conversion. We are taking the matter seriously as the allegations are of criminal nature,” he said.
The teacher, a resident of Sonapur in Kamrup district, had written to Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, saying her complaints to the block education officer and to the deputy commissioner failed to draw any action.
She said that she has stopped going to the school for ‘quite some time now’ due to fear and mental pressure she had been undergoing.
“Initially I took it very lightly as I thought the situation will improve. However, the situation turned from bad to worse. A senior colleague of mine continuously asked me to convert to Islam and marry him. When I complained to the head teacher, he also supported him. The head teacher and his wife who lives nearby also forced me to eat beef,” she alleged.
“When I complained to the school management committee, several members of the committee also rebuked me saying that I have been trying to malign the image of the head teacher and the other teacher,” she added.
The teacher also said that she had requested to the block education officer and the deputy commissioner for a transfer to a safer place but to no heed.
The school authorities, however, denied the allegations saying that the teacher was seeking transfer for quite sometime and she has lied about the whole incident.
“The school is located in a rural area far away from the town. We understand the problem of communication. She was seeking a transfer. We understand her problems but what do we do unless it’s ordered from the top. Now, as she has alleged all these stuff, we want a proper inquiry and the guilty should be punished, ” said a fellow teacher.
