UP headmistress suspended after allegedly carrying knife, cleaver to school

A headmistress of a government primary school in Uttar Pradesh's Kaushambi district was suspended on Friday, 17 July after she allegedly brought a knife and cleaver to the school premises, prompting disciplinary action and the registration of an FIR, officials said.

The incident took place at the primary school in Lukiya Dorma village under Kada block, where acting headmistress Shikha Singh allegedly arrived carrying the sharp weapons.

District basic shiksha adhikari (BSA) Kamlendra Kushwaha said an inquiry was ordered after a video showing the teacher holding the knife and cleaver surfaced on social media. "The female teacher has been put under suspension, and an FIR has also been registered against her," Kushwaha said.

Block education officer Neeraj Umrao said he received information on Friday morning that the headmistress had come to the school carrying the weapons. He added that several parents also telephoned to complain that she had allegedly brandished them while on her way to the school.

Umrao said statements of other school staff had been recorded and a preliminary report submitted to the BSA for further action.

Police reached the school, seized the knife and the cleaver, and launched further investigation. A departmental inquiry against the teacher is also underway, officials said.

According to Umrao, the teacher's husband, who was called to the school, told officials that her mental health was not good.

Speaking to reporters, Singh said she had brought the weapons because she feared for her safety and wanted them for self-protection. However, she declined to identify the individual or individuals from whom she claimed to face a threat.

With PTI inputs