UP minister's supporters terrorise college principal

As minister for labour, he was expected to play a constructive role in helping resolve dispute between a minority education institute and some sacked teachers after they approached his  department seeking reinstatement.

But the minister, Waqar Ahmed Shah, instead of trying to resolve it, gave oral instruction to the labour officer to “force” the principal of St Peter Inter College in UP’s Bahiraich district, to “immediately take back” the sacked teachers. 

The principal refused to oblige and had to pay a price.

The sacked teachers and a large number of supporters of the minister, who also hails from Bahiraich, barged into the college campus a few days back and disrupted classes, damaged property and terrorised the principal.

As the district administration remained a mute spectator, the ‘goons’ of the minister returned again on Tuesday last week and created ruckus.

Principal Carlos Tope moved the Allahabad High Court, which on Friday directed the district magistrate and police chief to make adequate security arrangement in the college and take action against the troublemakers.

Tope claimed in his petition that the district labour officer had clearly mentioned in his letter to him that the minister had “ordered” him to force the college management to take back the sacked contract teachers. 

The management had terminated  eight contract teachers on charges of indiscipline.

Tope said the minister’s supporters continued their hoolganism despite the fact that he had apprised the state chief secretary and the district magistrate about it. No action was taken by them. 

The entire district administration appeared to have turned against the college management after the minister’s intervention. Additional District Magistrate K S Pandey had summoned the principal  a few days back and asked him to resolve the matter quickly. 

SP leaders and legislators have been warned by chief minister Akhilesh Yadav against doing anything that tarnishes the image of the party. But their warning appears to have fallen on deaf ears.