“Extremely Unfortunate, Teacher Was Harassed to the Point of Losing Temper”: UP Minister on Sitapur Headmaster Assault

Sitapur: A government school headmaster, Brijendra Verma, who was caught on camera thrashing a Basic Education Officer (BEO) with a belt inside his office, has become the center of controversy, with state authorities calling for a thorough inquiry.

Uttar Pradesh Minister of Technical Education Ashish Patel described the incident as “extremely unfortunate” and stressed that it was unfair to single out the teacher “based on a mere 20-second video clip.” In a post on X in Hindi, he added, “Brijendra Verma, a hardworking, honest and regular school attendee, was harassed to the point of losing his temper. It is unfair to unilaterally blame a teacher based on a mere 20-second video clip.”

Patel urged authorities to review the CCTV footage and take strict action against anyone found guilty, emphasizing that “the truth must be revealed” regarding the circumstances that led to the headmaster’s actions.

The incident occurred during an inquiry into a complaint by school staff alleging that Verma had harassed an assistant teacher. CCTV footage shows that after a brief exchange with BEO Akhilesh Pratap Singh, Verma slammed a file on the table, removed his belt, and repeatedly struck the officer until staff intervened.

BEO Singh explained that the assault happened after he summoned Verma for an inquiry and both the headmaster and the assistant teacher faced each other. “When everyone present indicated that the headmaster was guilty, he suddenly became enraged, took out his belt and attacked me,” Singh said.