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Students’ harassment - Lahore_Real_Estate - 09-14-2010 12:16 PM
Two inquiries conducted by the Sindh Education Department and another inquiry conducted by a senior police official have found five clerks of Girls Higher Secondary School Shahdadpur, Sanghar District involved in the harassment of girl student. However, according to official sources in Sindh government and documents obtained by The News, the authorities concerned appear reluctant in taking legal action against the culprits.
An alarm was created in the District when citizens received the following SMS message circulated by the girl students of Higher Secondary Girls School Shahdadpur:
“We are students of Girls High School and College and our respects are not safe. Clerks of the school are pressing for friendship. On refusal, threats or getting us failed in examination are given. Clerks used to sit with the friends in office and saying us for friendship with them. We may be saved from them and male staff be shifted out from the girls school…”
Chief Minister Sindh, Syed Qaim Ali Shah reportedly took serious notice of the incident. A local NGO also raised hue and cry against the immoral activities of the clerks. Subsequently, given the seriousness of the issue, District Coordination Officer (DCO) Sanghar asked the DDO (Revenue) Shahdadpur for a ‘discreet inquiry.’ On the request of the district revenue official, three notables of Shahdadpur were also selected as members of the committee for conducting the inquiry in the subject matter.
The inquiry report about immoral activities of the five clerks was completed and submitted to the authorities concerned on December 11, 2009. The clerks were found guilty of the offence as per the first report.
Later on, a delegation headed by President All Pakistan Clerks Association, Sanghar district called on the DCO Sanghar and expressed their reservations over the findings of the said inquiry. The clerks association also demanded that an ‘impartial inquiry’ led by the education department should be conducted.
Subsequently, a joint committee comprising DDO Revenue Shahdadpur, DOE Headquarter Sanghar and DOE Academic and Training Sanghar was established through a notification dated January 15, 2010 to take evidence and submit its detailed report about the allegations.
The inquiry team examined and reviewed the previous inquiry report and entire evidence brought on record. The team also inquired from the different sources including students and teachers of the said school as well as the citizens of Shahdadpur town. The team came to the conclusion that the charges leveled against the clerks were correct and proven.
The team also suggested that necessary legal action under the relevant laws should be taken and ‘precautionary measures’ proposed in the previous report should be adopted.
Both inquiry reports were forwarded to EDO Education, Sanghar for taking ‘severe disciplinary action’ against the clerks in the light of the inquiry reports. However, after a lapse of considerable time, EDO Education Sanghar forwarded a note dated June 4, 2010, in which he expressed his ‘inability’ to take action against the clerks.
Official sources said that the keeping in view the seriousness of the matter and findings of the said inquiry reports, DCO Sanghar through a letter dated June 25, 2010 urged the higher authorities concerned to take ‘severe disciplinary action’ under the relevant rules and also proceed them under the removal from the service law.
Official sources familiar with this development told The News on Monday that RPO Hyderabad also ordered DPO Umerkot to conduct an inquiry into the incident. They said that the DPO’s inquiry also stated that the charges against the male staff have been proven.
They added that no legal action or criminal proceedings against the male staff have been taken so far.
Meanwhile, Education Secretary, Alam Din Bulloo told The News that the Education Department has suspended and expelled the clerks from the district.
However, he added that criminal proceedings could not take place against the male staff of the girls’ school because no one was willing to come forward to lodge an FIR against them.
To a question about directions of the higher authorities that ‘male staff should not be posted in girls educational institutes,’ Bulloo said that it was always advisable to depute female staff in girls’ schools but there was shortage of women staff in this case.