School opens its doors for ‘sacked’ teachers

Srinagar: The management of Muslim Education Institute (MEI) on Saturday reinstated the teacher couple who were sacked on the day of their marriage. However, the couple refused to rejoin the school back saying that the management will haunt them with their taunts.

The couple teachers were reinstated on the directions of the concerned Deputy Commissioner Pulwama on Saturday who held detailed deliberations with both the parties.

Also, the MEI management faced criticism from education minister Syed Muhammad Altaf Bukhari and the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) as well.

Deputy Commissioner Pulwama, Ghulam Mohammad Dar had called the two parties to his office where the school management agreed to reinstate the couple sacked on their wedding day ‘allegedly’ for romancing.

Tariq Bhat and Sumaya Bashir – residents of Tral town in Pulwama – were employed at Pampore Muslim Educational Institute for the past several years. Earlier, they said their services were terminated by the school management on November 30, the day they got married.

The Chairman of the school had claimed that the duo was relieved from their services as they were in a “romantic relationship” before getting married.

The couple, however, claimed that they had an arranged marriage.

Following the incident, the education minister opposed the decision and stated that the couple will be reinstated.

“What is wrong even if they loved each other? They performed Nikkah and their wedding was solemnized by their parents,” Bukhari had said.

Meanwhile, Tariq Bhat said when they left the DC office, they were humiliated by a person from the school management.

“We were again humiliated after the chairman passed comments on me outside the DC office. So we both decided not to join the school again,” Tariq Bhat said.

He said joining the same school again can be problematic for them. “If we again join the school then tomorrow they can level any sort of worse allegation against both of us and we will be again disrespected,” he said.

Bhat said that they will file a defamation case against the school management for tarnishing their image.

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