File picture of police investigating the blast site

Bhubaneswar, July 4: The suspension of an Ayatpur High School teacher for alleged “dereliction of duty” in connection with an explosion on Monday has drawn flak from school teachers across the state.

The Odisha Secondary School Teachers’ Association today threatened to go on a strike if the suspension order was not revoked at the earliest.

The district education officer suspended Hindi teacher Panchanan Behera a day after the incident. Behera was present in the classroom when a crude bomb, which was allegedly in the bag of a Class IX student, exploded injuring 22 students. Incidentally, Behera was assigned to take the class because the class teacher concerned was absent.

“Is a teacher supposed to check the bags of students after they enter class? Where is his mistake? Where is the dereliction of duty?” questioned Prashant Pati, a teacher.

“We had seen news reports of students in the US coming to school with guns and today, the situation is similar in Odisha. Students are carrying bombs in their school bags! Instead of trying to fix the law and order situation, they have suspended an innocent teacher,” said Pati.

Terming it as “sheer injustice”, secretary of the association Raghunath Sahu said: “While we are sad about the mishap and wish quick recovery of the students, we will not tolerate such a decision by the government. If the suspension is not revoked immediately, we will launch an agitation.”

Ayatpur High School principal Prativa Mohanty said she did not know the exact reason for Behera’s suspension. “As a precautionary measure, we have decided to check school bags of students before allowing them to enter the classroom,” she said.

A committee has also been formed to review and suggest security measures to be undertaken to ensure such incidents do not recur in the school.

The injured students, who are being treated at the SCB hospital, are stable.

Opposition parties have demanded the resignation of school and mass education minister Rabi Narayan Nanda in the wake of the incident. The state government has asked the director of secondary education to submit a report on it.