Bilal Bhat
Srinagar, Feb 11: An enquiry ordered into serious allegations of blackmailing, corporal punishment, threats to parents and questionable academic standards at a private school in Budgam has failed to see daylight nearly five months after its constitution, raising troubling questions about administrative accountability and institutional transparency.
Official documents accessed by Awami Reporter reveal that the complaint, filed on July 29, 2025, was formally acknowledged at the highest district level. The Deputy Commissioner Budgam and the Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) issued written communications directing that the matter be examined strictly under rules. Acting on these directions, the Chief Education Officer (CEO) Budgam constituted a two-member enquiry committee on September 18, 2025, instructing it to submit a detailed factual report within one week.
However, that one-week timeline has now stretched into nearly five months, with no report placed in the public domain and no formal findings communicated within the stipulated period.
The complaint levelled grave allegations, including coercive practices against parents, engagement of allegedly untrained staff for Cambridge curriculum teaching, incidents of corporal punishment, and threats issued to families raising concerns. The complainant, Muhammad Suhail Dar — a parent, RTI and education rights activist — maintains that he appeared before the committee multiple times and furnished documentary evidence both in person and through written submissions.
On February 10, 2026, Dar served a formal legal notice to the Chief Education Officer Budgam, Director School Education Kashmir, Deputy Commissioner Budgam, Zonal Education Officer and members of the enquiry committee, alleging wilful non-compliance of lawful orders and suppression of facts leading to non-submission of the report. The notice seeks immediate disclosure of the enquiry findings within seven days, failing which legal remedies including approaching competent courts and seeking accountability of concerned officials may be pursued.
The prolonged delay has sparked concern among education observers, who note that allegations involving student safety and institutional conduct demand swift and transparent action. “When directives from the DC and DSEK are issued and timelines fixed, failure to comply weakens administrative credibility and erodes public trust,” an education sector observer said.
Responding to the controversy, Chief Education Officer Budgam, Rifat Qadri, told Awami Reporter that the enquiry is nearing completion and the report will be formally released within two to three days.
“We have already submitted a report to Mr. Suhail Dar. However, he expressed dissatisfaction over certain aspects of the findings. In view of his concerns, I have assigned an additional member to further examine the matter. The revised report will be shared with him shortly,” Qadri said.
She asserted that the department remains committed to fairness and transparency and that any action warranted would be taken strictly in accordance with rules once the final report is placed on record.
For now, however, the delay — despite written directions from senior authorities — continues to raise uncomfortable questions about procedural compliance, administrative efficiency and the pace at which complaints involving private educational institutions are addressed.
Whether the promised report within days will settle the controversy or intensify scrutiny remains to be seen.
