Parents riot over school scandal

NDTV Correspondent
Friday, August 31, 2007 (New Delhi)
Parents have lashed out after discovering that a teacher entrusted with nurturing their children violated them in the worst possible way.

An expose on a TV channel showed Usha Khurana, a maths teacher in a government school in Delhi, shooting pornographic films at the last school where she worked.

Khurana would allegedly offer private tuitions to students, then drug them and allow strangers to molest them.

Parents who recognized Khurana rushed to her new school where she has been teaching for six months and has been equally predatory.

She allegedly invited female students to her house promising them a better life if they allowed her to prostitute them.

''She asked students to come home and promised to give them a job,'' said a student.

What is more worrying is that parents and students had repeatedly complained about Khrurana to the principal. But no action was taken and Khurana was not even questioned about these allegations.

''My niece complained with a couple of her friends and nothing was done,'' said Maqsood Qarim, parent.

It took just a few minutes for the demonstration by 300 people, including parents, to turn into a riot.

A jeep was set on fire and one child was injured in the violence. According to reports, 20 people have been arrested.

Government sources admit they knew Khurana's record with children had been dangerous but there wasn't enough evidence to fire her from her previous assignment.

''We have been receiving a lot of complaints regarding teachers. We need to spread awareness among our children. They have to know that if something of this sort is happening needs to be reported,'' said Girija Vyas, Chairman NCW.

Even today, the response is inadequate. ''We have constituted a committee to look into the matter and also suspended her,'' said Arvinder Singh Lovely, Education Minister, Delhi.