Teacher forced to kneel before agitating students in Assam, govt orders probe

NEW DELHI: A teacher was reportedly forced to kneel and apologize before her students who were protesting against hike in fees at Philobari in Assam’s Tinsukia district which has led to the district administration to order a magisterial level enquiry into it. A video of the lady teacher lying down on the road with folded hands in front of the demonstrating students has gone viral in the social media leading to condemnation by the opposition Congress.

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A senior leader of the state of the All Assam Students Union who was among the protestors has been expelled from the organisation for allegedly instigating the agitating students. The incident occurred when students of Philobari Senior Secondary School were protesting against the purported increase in fees. They demonstrated and blocked the road leading to the school on October 11. The teachers of the school tried to pacify the students and clear the blockade, which led to altercations between the two sides. It reached a point where one of the teachers was allegedly forced by the students to kneel to apologise to the students for allegedly making a derogatory remark against the protest.

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The Tinsukia district magistrate on Thursday ordered the executive magistrate of Doomdoma revenue circle to conduct an enquiry into the incident and submit the report within three days of receipt of the order. The probe will find details of the persons who were involved in the incident or had instigated it, the order said. The Tinsukia inspector of schools will assist in the enquiry, it added. The AASU expelled from the organisation the vice-president of its Tinsukia district unit for his alleged involvement in inciting the agitating students to force the teacher to kneel down and apologise.

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The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee condemned the incident and said it was more shocking as it happened in the presence of police personnel as can be seen in the video. “Teachers are revered all over the world and to compel a teacher who has been in service of the school for 27 years to kneel and apologise publicly is a gross act of ultimate disrespect that cannot be excused,” Bobbeeta Sharma, chairperson of the media department of APCC said in a statement here on Friday. “The Assam government while conducting the enquiry should also take to task those persons who encouraged and actively or silently participated in this shocking insult of a teacher of Assam,” Sharma added. Representatives of AASU and students who had participated in the protest later visited the teacher’s residence and apologised for the incident.