Itishree Pradhan, a UP school teacher at Tikiri UP School in Kashipur block, on August 22 had revealed to the media that she had been given sexual and mental harassment by her school headmaster and despite her complaint with the higher authorities she had been denied justice.
Shockingly, the same lady while asleep at her school hostel on last Sunday was targeted by her opponent and one miscreant threw kerosene on her and set her on fire. All this happened in a flash of moment giving any chance to Pradhan to save her. However, while she was on fire, she screamed for help and by the time, people outside rescued her and admitted into a nearby hospital her condition had turned critical with 90 per cent burn injury.
Pradhan had said to the mediapersons that she had joined the school on July 18, 2011 and ever since the school headmaster Netrananda Dandasena had been harassing her sexually. When she protested the advances of Dandasena, she turned out vindictive and subjected her to mental harassment. As she came from a coastal district, Pradhan said she feared to expose the man, but as stress kept mounting, she found it unbearable and filed an FIR against Dandasena in the local police station. However, by this time Dandasena had been promoted as School
Inspector in Tikiri. As he was a local person, the local police did not take any action. Not to be deterred, Pradhan then approached the School DI, the Collector and the SP and even wrote to the Mass Education Minister, but in vain. When she approached a woman police officer of Tikiri police station and sought protection, she was not only denied of it but even her FIR was not lodged.
Dandasena knew all this and was absconding. He also sent his nephews to the school to physically attack and terrorise Pradhan using slang language. She felt nervous and finally had met the Press to describe her agony. Though the scribes took the matter with the concerned authorities, all of them washed off their hands saying that an inquiry was on.
As the School DI did not take timely action, he has been suspended. “But did the Collector, SP, Women Police Officer of Tikiri and the Mass education Minister take timely actionIJ An impartial inquiry will open the Pandora’s Box and reveal involvement of a plethora of other culprits including Dandasena’s family members,” said a youth leader of the area Ajay Ratha.
“In recent times, this is the third incident of burning after Royat Colony and Anjiapeta incidents. In a tribal district like Rayagada this is a new trend and needs to be thoroughly checked,” said Rabindra Patakhandala, an RTI activist of the district.