Legislative Assembly Committee Probes Allegations of Sexual Harassment Against School Principal

The Fact Finding Committee of the Legislative Assembly has initiated an inquiry into the disturbing case of alleged sexual harassment involving 142 female students and the Principal of a Government School in Uchana, Jind, Haryana. The investigation was entrusted to this committee following allegations by Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala. To facilitate the inquiry, the committee has requested a comprehensive report on the matter from the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) of the School Education Department, Sudhir Rajpal, and the Director General of Police (DGP), Shatrujit Kapoor.

The Education Department has been directed to provide insights into the complaints received against the Principal, detailing his working style. Simultaneously, the DGP has been tasked with furnishing information on the timeline of when a complaint was lodged against the accused principal, the filing of a DDR or FIR, and the subsequent actions taken by the police.

Education Minister Kanwar Pal Gurjar is heading the committee formed in response to the Assembly’s outcry. Other members include Rohtak MLA BB Batra, Ambala City MLA Aseem Goyal, and Julana MLA Amarjeet Singh Dhanda. Advocate General Baldev Raj Mahajan has been invited to the committee as a special participant.

The controversy surrounding the Uchana case in Jind dominated discussions during last year’s winter session of the Assembly. The dispute between Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala and former Education Minister Geeta Bhukkal led to serious allegations against the accused principal. Dushyant claimed that the principal faced accusations of sexual harassment in 2005 and 2011-12.

The disagreement between Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala and Congress MLA Geeta Bhukkal prompted the decision to investigate the matter initially by a sitting judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Subsequently, due to opposition from Congress, it was resolved to investigate an Assembly committee rather than involving a High Court judge. The committee is mandated to probe allegations against the principal spanning the years 2005 to 2023.