Sultanpur (UP), Dec 7 (PTI) A magisterial inquiry has been ordered and an FIR registered against an education department official after a government school headmaster in Sultanpur district of Uttar Pradesh died by suicide allegedly after being reprimanded for remaining absent from duty, officials said on Thursday.
Surya Prakash Dwivedi, 52, the headmaster in-charge of Chitta Junior High School in the Kudwar area, consumed poison Monday and died at a hospital in Lucknow early Tuesday.
His family members cremated the body on Thursday after senior administrative and police officials assured them of looking into their demands and an FIR was lodged against Kudwar Block Education Officer (BEO) Manojit Rao.
The BEO has also been removed from duty and attached to the office of the Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA), an official said.
The headmaster’s family had initially refused to cremate the body until their demands, including the registration of a case against the education department official, were met.
On Thursday morning, District Magistrate Kritika Jyotsna and Superintendent of Police Somen Burma visited the headmaster’s family. After discussion with the family members, their complaint was sent to the Kudwar police station for lodging of an FIR against the BEO under sections 306 (abetment to suicide) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.
On Wednesday, the district magistrate ordered a magisterial inquiry into the matter. SDM Sadar C P Pathak will conduct the inquiry and submit a report within 15 days, officials said.
According to a complaint lodged by the family, Dwivedi was on leave on Saturday to attend to his ailing son when the BEO had reached the school for an inspection.
The BEO reprimanded Dwivedi when the latter made a phone call to him to explain the reason for his absence.
Hurt by this, Dwivedi consumed some poisonous substance Monday afternoon, his family claimed. He was taken to a nearby government hospital from where he was referred to Lucknow. He died at a hospital in Lucknow early Tuesday, according to the family’s complaint.
The complaint also mentioned about a suicide note dated December 4, without sharing its content.
Angry with the death of the headmaster, a section of teachers held a meeting in Kudwar on Tuesday and levelled serious allegations against the BEO and BSA Deepika Chaturvedi.
Local MP Maneka Gandhi has been in touch with district officials over the matter and also sought registration of an FIR.
The family and teachers have made seven demands, including the registration of a case against the BEO and his arrest, compensation of Rs 50 lakh, job to one dependant of the deceased, and a judicial inquiry into the matter. PTI COR SAB SMN
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