Bhubaneswar: Officials of the school and mass education department on Tuesday began an investigation into allegations of irregularities in teacher transfers carried out under the administrative control of the district education officer (DEO) in Angul district.Following allegations that as many as 120 govt school teachers were transferred through illegal means, senior departmental officials visited the Angul DEO office and examined relevant records and transfer-related documents.The inquiry follows a petition filed by Harihar Mishra and others, alleging that several transfers were processed offline and through backdated orders despite the state govt’s mandatory online transfer policy. The petitioners further claimed that the transfers were facilitated in exchange for money.Acting on the allegations, the department ordered an inquiry last week.Additional secretary Girish Chandra Singh directed the director of secondary education to conduct a detailed investigation and submit a report within seven days. He stressed the need for a transparent and accountable process to ensure fairness and discipline in teacher postings.The department has also sent a copy of the directive to DEO Niranjan Sahu, seeking his cooperation during the investigation. Sahu is scheduled to retire on June 30.
