Special Task Force

Four employees of the education department in Uttar Pradesh, including the Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA), have been booked for allegedly appointing Urdu teachers based on forged documents in Siddharth Nagar district, officials reported on Wednesday. The FIR was filed on Tuesday following an investigation by the UP Special Task Force (STF), which uncovered their involvement in irregularities. The accused are accused of facilitating the appointment of suspended teachers in the district by forging signatures of senior officials and providing affiliation to nonexistent schools. The individuals involved have been identified as BSA Devendra Kumar Pandey, block education officer Kunwar Vikram Pandey, and clerks Mukul Mishra and Shiv Sagar Choubey. Superintendent of Police Prachi Singh stated that a former BSA of Siddharth Nagar filed a complaint with ADG, STF, Amitabh Yash, highlighting irregularities in the recruitment of Urdu teachers and the issuance of appointment letters. Despite multiple complaints to the authorities, no action was taken to investigate the matter, the complainant alleged. The complaint also mentioned the grant of recognition to certain schools through fraudulent signatures, as well as forgery of appointment letters and salary payment orders. A subsequent report from the district basic education officer revealed that the recognition of 15 schools was questionable due to missing documents. The complainant further alleged that a junior clerk involved in the activities was being shielded by the BSA and called for a thorough investigation. After a preliminary examination, the allegations were deemed credible, leading to the filing of an FIR. The SP affirmed that further investigation is ongoing to ascertain the extent of the wrongdoing.