The Tribune, January 1, 2003

Principal makes an indecent proposal
Vipin Sharma

Rohtak, December 31
The warden of a girls’ hostel of Chhotu Ram Polytechnic here has charged the officiating principal of the institute with behaving indecently with her and other inmates of the hostel. In a letter, the copies of which were sent to the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the Chief Minister, the Chairperson of the National Women Commission, the IG of Rohtak range and the SSP, Rohtak, the warden alleged that she was removed from service on December 21 as she failed to comply with the ‘amoral’ wishes of the principal. Moreover, she alleged that she was not allowed even to take her belongings out of the hostel after her removal.

The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Ashok Yadav, has deputed the City Magistrate, Ms Ranjit Kaur, to investigate the allegations and submit her report before tomorrow evening. Ms Hoshiari Devi had stated in her complaint that she was a widow and had been serving as the hostel warden (night shift). She said that the principal, just after assuming charge on October 1, asked her and another hostel warden (day shift) to collect the photographs of all hostellers and hand them over to him. She alleged that it was an unjustified and unprecedented order issued by a principal and said the hostellers also refused to provide their photos.

The complainant said the principal reached the girls’ hostel at around 11.30 pm on November 26 and directed the gateman to ask all the girl students to assemble before him. The principal was drunk and behaved indecently with her and the students. She said the students also reported the matter to certain senior staff members of the institute the next day. In her complaint, she said that the principal often used to visit the hostel during odd hours without any prior information to the wardens. The principal had also removed certain other employees, including the chief warden and a warden (day shift) from the hostel who opposed his ‘undesirable’ activities, she alleged. The complainant sought her reinstatement and legal action against the principal of the institute whose ‘unwarranted’ behaviour had generated a sense of insecurity among the hostellers and their parents.