Goddess Saraswati Did Not...: Rajasthan Teacher Suspended For Hurting Religious Sentiments

goddess saraswati did not…: rajasthan teacher suspended for hurting religious sentiments

Kota: A government school teacher, who was posted in Rajasthan’s Baran district, has been suspended for disrespecting Goddess Saraswati which led to the hurting of the religious sentiments of some people, officials said on Saturday. According to the officials, primary school teacher Hemlata Bairwa was suspended on Friday after an order from the Rajasthan Education Minister, Madan Dilawar.

“Some people give weightage to themselves so much, their ‘chaal’ (working style) is not yet gone and they ask what is the contribution of Goddess Saraswati in school, whoever has said so in this area, I suspend him/her,” Dilawar said while addressing a public gathering during his tour in the Kishanganj area in the Baran district.

A day after the minister made the announcement in public, the district education (elementary) officer of the district issued an order for the suspension of the Prabodhak level 1 teacher who was posted at a government primary school in the Lakdai village of the Baran district.

However, an official from the Baran district education department stated that the suspension order was issued following an initial inquiry into hurting religious sentiments against the teacher was completed.

Despite locals’ insistence, the teacher refused to put up the picture of Goddess Saraswati on the stage at the event along with photos of Mahatma Gandhi and Bhim Rao Ambedkar. Further, she hurt their religious sentiments by saying that Goddess Saraswati did not contribute anything to school and education.

The initial inquiry focused on the controversy over placing Goddess Saraswati’s picture on stage at a Republic Day event at the school where the teacher was found responsible for hurting and provoking the religious sentiments of the locals. Due to this, an order for her suspension was issued on Friday, Baran district education (elementary) officer Piyush Kumar Sharma told PTI. He further said that the teacher was also directed to register her attendance at the directorate, elementary education, Bikaner, during this course.

(With inputs from PTI)