In Bargarh, two officers from the Odisha Education Service (OES) and a physical education teacher from a government school were arrested on charges of sexually harassing a female employee of the School and Mass Education department, as well as engaging in financial misconduct, police reported on Thursday.
The accused are District Education Officer (DEO) Jyotikanta Sahu, 45, from Khajurtikra in Bargarh municipality, Block Education Officer (BEO) Surendra Kumar Sahu, 45, from Kanaktora village in Jharsuguda district, and Samir Kumar Panigrahi, 51, a physical education teacher at Satalma High School, residing in Bishipali under Barpali police limits. Their arrests followed a departmental inquiry that substantiated the sexual harassment claims made by the victim.
Authorities seized three mobile phones and relevant documents during the arrests. A case (229/26) was filed at the Bargarh Town police station based on a complaint from Deputy Collector Sumati Panda. The accused were subsequently presented in court and remanded to judicial custody after their bail applications were denied.
Allegations of sexual harassment and abuse of power against the trio had previously been reported to District Collector Aditya Goyal, who directed the formation of an investigative committee led by Deputy Collector Panda. Following the inquiry, which confirmed the allegations, a formal complaint was lodged with the police on Wednesday.
The police summoned the suspects for questioning and arrested them after gathering supporting evidence. The investigation revealed that the BEO, with the DEO’s knowledge, allegedly harassed multiple female employees, while PET Panigrahi was implicated in financial irregularities.
Collector Goyal noted that complaints had recently been received against certain officials in the district education department, prompting the inquiry and subsequent police action. He stated that the district administration would also take action against those arrested, and further details of the investigation remain confidential. Goyal emphasized that action would be taken against anyone found to be involved.
