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PATNA: In a bizarre incident, teachers of a Katihar school took the students on an excursion to Biratnagar in Nepal instead of scheduled visit to Vikramshila in Bhagalpur just to consume liquor, which is banned in Bihar.

The Bawanganj Middle School is in Korha block of Katihar district, approximately 300km from Patna.

The students complained to their parents after returning home that the teachers had consumed liquor in Nepal and vomited inside the bus throughout the journey back home, Bawanganj panchayat mukhiya Balram Mahauli told TOI over the phone on Sunday.

“Forty students, including 27 girls, were taken on one-day excursion under the Mukhya Mantri Bihar Darshan Yojana on May 24 and returned after midnight,” Mahauli said. He said the parents protested on school premises on May 25 after which senior district administration officials, including district education officer (DEO) Dinesh Chandradeo, reached the school. “Police were also called to avoid any untoward incident,” he said.

“The permission for excursion was for Vikramshila, but the teachers diverted the route midway to Biratnagar. The letter for excursion was shown to us after our protest at the school,” he said.

“Headmaster Ravindra Kumar, Korha block teacher Radheshaym Singh, tola sevaks Noor Alam, Amit Kumar Rajak, Vikash Kumar Rajak and Ashok Rajak and a woman cook were with the students on the tour. The students complained that while returning, the teachers and tola sevaks made them sit inside the bus somewhere near Jogbani in Araria district and went somewhere. After an hour or so, the teachers and four tola sevaks returned in an inebriated state,” the mukhiya said.

“The teachers and sevaks twice vomited in the bus which was cleaned by the cook and the students,” he said.

When asked, DEO Chandradeo said he had written to their ‘employer unit’ for action against the teachers. “They were contractual teachers,” he said.

When contacted, Katihar DM Punam said she was not aware about any such incident. “Let me talk to the DEO. Action will definitely be taken against the guilty,” she said.

