Video of teacher allegedly smoking ganja on school premises went viral in Shahdol
A video showing a teacher at a government primary school in Budhar block allegedly smoking ganja after the Independence Day flag hoisting had gone viral; the teacher denied it, and officials said an inquiry would follow.
Irregularities continued to surface in the district’s education department. It was deeply shameful that the actions of one teacher were tarnishing the department’s image. At the government primary school in Tediha Damkitola, in Budhar Janpad Panchayat area, teacher Suresh Chaturvedi was found smoking ganja inside the school with some companions after the flag-hoisting programme on Independence Day.
Teacher allegedly intoxicated in front of schoolchildren
After the video of the incident circulated widely on social media, education department officials had decided to take action. Teacher Suresh Chaturvedi called the allegation false, saying he was only smoking a cigarette. However, in the video he could be seen smoking ganja from a chillum. According to information, after the flag hoisting on 15 August, Suresh Chaturvedi was sitting in the school with some people from his village. Some villagers saw this, made a video and shared it on social media. A villager, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Chaturvedi often came to school intoxicated, which was affecting the children’s studies. Such behaviour by the teacher was having a negative effect on students’ education. Locals had complained to education department officials, but no action had been taken so far, which forced the villagers to make the video. When asked, Chaturvedi said he was only smoking a cigarette and that the person who made the video was unknown. However, intoxication of any kind inside a school was improper. Sitaram Dubey of the Budhar BRC said he had learned of the matter and it would be investigated.
