BAHAWALNAGAR: Staffers of the Literacy Department (LD), along with Apca Union Bahawalnagar chapter, again registered their protest on Saturday against the District Education Officer Literacy (DEOL) for allegedly threatening the LD staffers to have their statements in his favour in several ongoing departmental inquiries.

The officials criticised the authorities for delay in the process of inquiries against the DEOL. They besieged the education complex and chanted slogans against the official.

The protesters told newsmen that the DEOL had embezzled millions by making bogus bills of printing and advertisement and later replaced the stock register from 2012 to 2022 with a new one in order to destroy the evidence of corruption.

They said a departmental inquiry was going on and the DEOL was now forcing the staffers to record their statements in his favour to save his skin. On their refusal, the official had started blackmailing them by issuing threats of implicating them in police cases and dismissing them from service, they alleged.

They said another departmental inquiry against the DEOL for embezzling the salaries of six teachers had been finalised and the report was forwarded to the Literacy Secretary on May 22 by the CEO Office. However, no action has been taken against the official.

Moreover, the authorities kept mum over a matter in which the DEOL was found guilty of altering a report of a three-member Technical Committee which was set up to inspect the project of LD worth Rs11.9m, in a departmental probe on Jan 22.

Furthermore, another inquiry against the DEOL of misusing the official vehicle was yet to complete despite the passage of several weeks. Even the official vehicle had been taken back from the DEOL.

Apart from that, the DEOL was also involved in harassing women employees, appointing ghost teachers and approving illegal schools.

They said a week ago, when they protested outside the CEO Office, former CEO Education Kastura G. Shad assured them of removing the DEOL but nothing happened.

Later, they ended the agitation after CEO Education Ms Shahida Hafeez assured them of action against the suspect.

The CEO education was not available for her comment. However, DEO Literacy Malik Muhammad Aslam, while denying allegations, told Dawn that Apca was targeting him for not sparing the corrupt officials of the LD, who were involved in theft from department’s store.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2022