Authorities in Jharkhand's Sahibganj district have launched an investigation into a government school headmaster after a viral video showed students engaged in manual labour during school hours. Parents and the School Management Committee accused him of exploitation and corruption in the midday meal scheme. The headmaster rejected the claims, stating the activity was voluntary assistance for a school event.
In Sahibganj district, Jharkhand, authorities are probing the in-charge headmaster of PM Shri Government Middle School at Rajmahal after a video surfaced on social media showing students carrying bricks and sand, sweeping classrooms, and cleaning drains during school hours.
School Management Committee (SMC) president Sintu Yadav filed a complaint with the Sahibganj Deputy Commissioner on Friday, signed by parents and committee members. Yadav told The Indian Express, “This was not a one-day incident. Sometimes they made the children work after two days, sometimes after five. When I confronted the headmaster, he said, ‘If the child doesn’t study, what else will he do? Let him do some small work.’"
He added, “If a child begins to think school is a place for labour, one day, he will leave and think that at least outside, he will get paid.” Parent Suraj Mandal, whose two children attend the school, said he had raised the issue for months, but the viral video brought attention to it.
The complaint also alleges corruption in the midday meal scheme, with parents claiming eggs, mandated twice a week, are provided only once, and sometimes meals are not cooked at all. SMC members accused the headmaster of colluding with the meal coordinator for 15 years, mismanaging funds and siphoning resources.
Dilip Kumar, who has served at the school for 13 years, rejected the allegations. “The children seen in the video are only helping move bricks left behind by a contractor as part of some school event preparations… It was not forced labour. These are all false allegations against me. They want to defame me,” he said.
Deputy Commissioner Hemant Sati stated he has sought a report from the District Education Officer. “The matter is being inquired into, and the report is expected within a few days,” he added.