Seema recovers at hospital in Dhanbad on Thursday. Picture by Gautam Dey

Dhanbad, July 23: Delhi Public School is at the centre of a controversy after a lady teacher lodged an FIR with the police claiming she was “mentally tortured” by the principal after which she had to be hospitalised.

Now, a local students’ organisation, Yuva Chhatra Jagaran Manch, and a women’s organisation have taken up her cause, burning effigies of the principal today and calling upon the deputy superintendent of police (law & order), Sanjay Ranjan Singh, yesterday to demand the principal’s arrest.

The principal, K. B. Bhargava, has denied the charges levelled by Seema, a physical education teacher, who has threatened to move the state women’s commission.

Sources in the school revealed the dispute was centred around the appointment of the vice-principal, Indrani Ghose, as teachers’ representative in the management committee.

Seema, they said, was collecting signatures in support of a group of teachers opposed to Ghose’s appointment. On Tuesday, when she was in the junior section, Bhargava got to know and summoned her to his office. An argument ensued. “I called her in my office and told her she should have assigned a peon for the job instead of disturbing classes,’’ said Bhargava. “But, she refused to accept her fault. Then I left the office and she seemed perfectly well,” he added.

Talking to The Telegraph from hospital, Seema denied she was collecting signatures during class hours. Instead, she accused the principal of having abused her in front of the head of the junior school, Sharmila Sinha, and the vice-principal for no fault of hers.

DSP Singh said investigations would begin once Seema was able to issue a statement to the police.