Patna, March 2: In an unusual incident, a school teacher in Bihar’s Rohtas district was arrested after he, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, declared a holiday and sent all the students home. The incident occurred at the upgraded middle school, Korhas, located atop a hill in Rohtas district on Wednesday.

TOI reported that Ravi Shankar Bharti, the teacher in question, was the first to reach the school that day. He reportedly told the students, “Today is a holiday,” and asked them to go home. The school, which has four teachers and 185 enrolled students, was left empty. Bihar: Female Teacher Takes Students to Temple to Swear by Deities as Rs 35 Goes Missing From Purse, Transferred.

Local villagers were taken aback when they saw their children returning home early. Upon learning that a holiday had been declared, they rushed to the school, only to find Bharti allegedly inebriated. The angered villagers tied Bharti’s hands and feet and took him to the local Nauhatta police station. Bihar Teacher Turns Up Drunk At School in Khagaria, Held Following Complaints From Villagers (Watch Video).

Nauhatta station house officer Qyamuddin confirmed, “The teacher was drunk when brought to the police station. We arrested him and produced him in the local court on Thursday. The court released him after he paid the fine.”

Following the incident, the education department ordered action against Bharti. Block Education Officer (BEO) Sachidanand Sah said, “I have written to the higher authorities recommending departmental action and suspension of the schoolteacher. This is a very serious issue.”

The incident has brought to light allegations by local villagers that the school authorities have been neglecting their teaching duties. Most of the students come from poor families. Anand Kumar, a parent, expressed his surprise when his daughter returned home soon after she had gone to school. “She told there will be no class today,” he said.

The incident is particularly ironic given that the state imposed a total prohibition on the consumption, sale, and supply of alcohol in April 2016.

In a related incident last week in Banka district, a female teacher was transferred after she took all the schoolchildren to a nearby temple to make them swear in the name of God that they had not stolen Rs 35 from her purse.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 02, 2024 03:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).