Bamra: A video clip of some teachers partying and consuming liquor during Gandhi Jayanti celebrations at a primary school in Bhatalaida panchayat under Laikera block in Jharsuguda district has sparked widespread outrage in the area, a report said Monday.
The matter came to light after the video clip of the teachers at Bhuliadihi Project Upper Primary School went viral.
Seen in the video are headmaster Dillip Kumar Naik and some teachers of nearby schools partying and consuming liquor in the office room of the school where a photograph of Mahatma Gandhi is hung overhead.
The teachers consuming liquor just under the photograph of the Father of the Nation who stood all his life fighting for prohibition has shocked the residents.
They alleged that the teachers consuming liquor in a school which is deemed as temple of learning is a matter of disgrace and have demanded the intervention of the collector.
Shocked over the development, some media persons visited the office of block education officer (BEO) and showed the video clip to assistant block education officer (ABEO) Janmejaya Nayak in the absence of BEO Pradip Kumar Sa and demanded action against the teachers.
Nayak called the incident shameful. When contacted over phone, BEO Sa said soon he will order an inquiry by forming a special committee and recommend action against the errant teachers on receiving the probe report.
The event took place when about seven teachers of adjoining schools gathered at the school to celebrate Gandhi Jayanti, October 2. Later, the teachers went to the school office and decided to celebrate the occasion in a different way.
They brought foreign liquor and food and started partying in the office. In the video, the headmaster is seen sitting just below the photograph of Mahatma Gandhi and drinking while some other teachers in uniforms are seen joining in. While some are seen mixing liquor, others are seen distributing the drink among themselves.
When contacted, the headmaster Naik, without showing any remorse for his conduct, said they organise such parties at regular intervals. However, he said he had failed to understand how the video clip went viral.
Meanwhile, it is alleged that the school authorities have started making an attempt to erase the tell-tale signs of the drinking session by painting the office room’s walls. PNN
