In Jaipur, an India Army Public School principle has been accused and charged with sexually harassing a teacher. This has come in the wake of accusations and terminations. After the initial claim was made, the school did its own internal investigation. They found that the principle, Rajiv Kumar Singh, is innocent and refused to tell authorities. What they did do was terminate the work contract of the woman who made the accusation, Mangla Bhatt, for indiscipline and poor English skills.
Ms. Bhatt alleges that the sexual harassment started on 2010 and peaked on November 16th, 2011. She reported that he would often come up from behind her, tell her she was “very sweet looking,” and that she should go with him. He wanted to make her “permanent.” Four other teachers and six other employees of the school are supporting Ms. Bhatt in her efforts against the principle, which now claim to be getting harassed by school officials. Three of the other people supporting the teacher have lost their jobs for various reasons and four of the 6 standard employees are now banned from entering the school completely.
The India Army claims that the 3 fired teachers and the 4 other employees, all witnesses, were “hell-bent on prevailing over the truth”. This basically means they were trying to spread harmful and supposedly untrue rumors about the school.
India Army authorities claim they have began two separate inquiries into the case, both cleared the principle of any wrong doing. After the Army authorities cleared Singh of any wrong doing, Ms. Bhatt went to the local police and filed an official complaint. The local police found enough evidence to arrest the principle. After, he paid the bail and was released.
There have been a number of human rights groups which have stepped in on the case, pointing out that the India Army Public School was violating India's Supreme Court. In a case of sexual harassment, such as this, the investigative group must be headed by a woman. In the past internal inquiries, this didn't happen and only one woman was on each investigation panel.
Human rights groups are also protesting the fact that Singh would be present in each of the inquiries over his sexual harassment. That fact, Ms.Bhatt is arguing, makes it very difficult for the victims to feel comfortable enough to be completely honest. All of the school's daily business is run and controlled by India's committee of management, which is made of India's senior military officers. When the local television crews asked for a comment, the school Chairman, Brigadier SD Mehta, refused to make any statement for the record.
There is a specific combination of things that could provide proof and a solid wall of prevention, all at once. That is, using surveillance camera's in the public areas of the school and requiring every employee to take sexual harassment education courses. The courses alone could have saved the school money, Singh his job, and their reputation.