Medininagar: A pregnant teacher in Palamu district of Jharkhand, who had been commuting roughly 35 km daily to work, went into labour at her school on Saturday and was later told by doctors that the baby had died in the womb.
Bharti Pandey, posted at Sildiliya Plus-2 School in Tarhasi and on deputation to Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya in Chainpur, had sought leave but continued travelling to her posting until the final month of her pregnancy, her family said.
After her condition worsened at the school on Saturday, she went to the office of the District Education Officer (DEO) to request leave. She was taken to a hospital when her health deteriorated further, where doctors informed the family that the foetus had died in the womb, as reported by The new Indian Express.
Mukesh Kumar Tiwari, a police officer and Pandey’s husband, held Palamu District Education Officer Sandeep Kumar responsible for the outcome. Tiwari said his wife, then in the final month of pregnancy, had applied for maternity leave on July 3 but did not receive approval. He alleged the DEO asked for a Rs 50,000 bribe to clear the leave and said the family even offered Rs 25,000, yet the leave was still not granted.
Tiwari also said that five days before the incident the Deputy Commissioner had directed the Education Department to approve the leave, but the DEO failed to act on that instruction.
Palamu Deputy Commissioner Dilip Pratap Singh Shekhawat disagreed with parts of the family’s account, saying the teacher had applied for child care leave, not maternity leave. According to the Deputy Commissioner, the teacher had sought child care leave — intended for matters like a child’s exams or health — and had not referred to her pregnancy in the application. He added the leave was still being processed and was granted on the day of the incident.
Responding to the bribery allegations, Shekhawat said a departmental probe has been ordered. The administration has recommended that the DEO be either transferred or suspended. This besides, officials said an FIR will be lodged should evidence back the bribery claims.
DEO Sandeep Kumar also said the teacher’s leave application did not specify maternity leave.