The controversy generated by a sub-divisional magistrate purportedly slapping a guest teacher of Government inter college, Thalisain for meting out corporal punishment to a student has been resolved following mutual agreement on the day after the incident took place.
While one section claims that the confrontation was resolved after SDM Maya Datt Joshi tendered an apology, the SDM himself says that the issue was resolved following mutual agreement wherein the administration will not register a case against the teacher while the Government teachers association will not launch an agitation on this issue.
It should be mentioned here that on Tuesday, a guest teacher at the government inter college in Thalisain reportedly meted out brutal corporation punishment to a student for arriving late. The punished student complained about this to the SDM while also showing his injuries to the officer. Joshi responded by reaching the inter college where he ended up slapping the accused teacher.
It was being said that the principal also got slapped while trying to intervene in the altercation. The SDM however refuted to having slapped the principal, adding that the issue had been hyped up by the media without considering actual facts.
Earlier, on learning of the incident the government teachers association shut the college down and staged a protest demanding action against the SDM. The chief education officer MS Rawat told The Pioneer that he had talked to the Thalisain SDM on the day of the purported altercation. Since there was no breach of peace on the day of the incident, the issue should have been referred to the department concerned as there was no need for the administration to visit the college. One cannot justify slapping a teacher while on the other hand closing down the institution was no remedy for the situation, he told the teachers. Rawat said that the SDM had acknowledged that the action was erroneous and inflamed by emotion.
