Pune: Teachers Accuse School Administration of Extortion and Abuse, FIR Registered

Katraj, 5th August 2024: On Monday, Bharati Vidyapeeth Police registered an extortion case against five individuals, including the President, Secretary, and Principal of Munot Primary and Secondary School in Katraj, Pune.

The accused are identified as Ashok Munot (President), Nikhil Munot (Secretary), Harshada Munot (Secretary), Ulka Shashikant Navgire Munot (CEO and Primary School Headmistress), Surekha Mahadev Sutar (Secondary School Headmistress), and Harshada Ashoklal Munot Gugale, daughter of Ashok Munot. They hold positions within the Late Ambarchandji Munot Education Society, which oversees Munot Primary School and Late Zumbarbai Munot Secondary School.

The complaint was filed by Dnyanu Sadhu Sarate and ten other teachers, who alleged the wrongful suspension of Secondary School teacher Mallikarjun Subhash Wadekar and the dismissal of Supriya Krushnadas Muppidwar. The teachers accused the management of prolonged harassment spanning over ten years, including casteist abuse, forced labor, arbitrary suspensions, sub-human treatment, compulsory work on holidays, extended working hours, and threats of termination.

In their petition to the Director and Deputy Director of the Education Department, the teachers demanded the appointment of an administrator to manage the school, citing ongoing harassment, extortion, and intimidation.

Sarate stated in his FIR that he has been employed at the school since 2010 and was frequently assigned non-educational tasks. According to Sarate, a gazette notification issued by the state government on February 6, 2023, sanctioned 60% grants for teaching and non-teaching positions. However, compliance for receiving teacher salaries required the society to submit complete files to the education department. On March 8, 2023, the accused allegedly called Sarate and other teachers to the Society office, demanding Rs 5000 per teacher as file processing fees and 10% of their monthly salary until retirement. The accused threatened termination if these payments were not made.

On April 13, Wadekar filed a case under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, against Ashok Munot, Nikhil Munot, and Surekha Sutar, alleging casteist slurs and abuse during school hours. The teachers have also petitioned the government, criticizing the education department’s inaction and demanding intervention to halt the ongoing harassment and extortion by the school management.

Police Inspector Dasrath Patil, in charge of Bharati Vidyapeeth Police Station, stated, “The management members accepted money from the teachers through various means. We have registered a case under IPC 384 and 34 against the accused, and further investigation is ongoing.”

Attempts to contact the school office for comments were unsuccessful.