Principal posted to Haryana after slapping student

CHANDIGARH - The principal of a leading government school of this union territory (UT) who was from the Haryana cadre was posted back after she was found guilty of slapping a class 12 student, officials said here Wednesday.

According to UT education department officials, Indu Bala, principal of Government Model Senior Secondary School, was found guilty of “unnecessarily slapping” a student Monday and was being sent back to her parent cadre Haryana.

Bala allegedly slapped class 12 student Mini Thakur Monday following which the student called her parents, who immediately reached the school with the police. Thakur’s parents also submitted a written complaint with the UT Education-cum-Home Secretary Ram Niwas.

A two-member inquiry team, consisting of deputy district education officers, conducted a probe Tuesday.

“Inquiry officers recorded the statements of the principal, student and other eye-witnesses. They looked into all aspects of this matter before submitting the final report to the education secretary,” said Chanchal Singh, district education officer.

Acting swiftly, Niwas ordered that Bala be posted back to Haryana.

“We have taken this action against the principal as she was found guilty of unnecessarily slapping a student. Such offences are totally intolerable,” Niwas told IANS Wednesday.

Bala, who has been working in Chandigarh since 1992, refused to comment. She was promoted to the rank of principal in 2003.

In her complaint to the police, Thakur stated that she was smiling at her classmates, who were passing through the corridor. When the principal saw this, she yelled at her and slapped her on the face.

Sources in the education department confirmed that earlier in 2005 Bala’s name had also figured in the case of financial irregularities when she was the principal of another government school here.

Students said Bala was short-tempered and got angry frequently.