Three teachers arrested for extorting student

The police are refusing to arrest Principal Ramanuj Prasad yet even though he was named as the leader of an extortion racket by Inspector Ramesh Prasad Singh, in charge of the city’s Shastri Nagar police station. In his report, which forms part of the FIR, Inspector Singh writes that prima facie, Principal Prasad – by verbal as well as written orders – made sure some students failed in plus one so that money could be taken from them to promote them to plus two.

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Patna’s Senior Superintendent of Police Jitender Rana said that the Principal was not an accused in the case in which the teachers have been arrested. “These teachers were arrested as part of the missing case; because they coerced Priya Roy to abscond herself. We do not know if the forgery case was carried out with the help of the Principal yet,” said SSP Rana.

Roy had gone missing after she went along with father Samir Roy to collect her admit card from the school on February 28. In his complaint, the father says that she went in to meet teacher Maharana and never returned. She had reportedly already been told that her admit card was not available as she had failed in plus one. The girl had Rs. 62,000 on her, supposedly part of the one lakh rupees demanded by her teachers to ensure she gave the exam. SSP Rana said the girl has not yet recovered enough to recount her experience.

When the police first approached the school, it claimed that Roy had not attended classes since March 2014. However, investigation proved that the school was lying: CBSE’s Patna office told the police that the girl – who had secured 96 percent in her 10th standard – had even been allotted a roll number and centre for her plus two examination. Principal Prasad had signed the documents that were sent to the CBSE for making Roy a candidate.