Jharkhand teacher’s foetus dies after delayed maternity leave, probe ordered

Bharti Pandey, a pregnant teacher in Palamu district, Jharkhand, travelled about 35 km daily to work. She applied for maternity leave on 3 July but the leave request remained pending. Her husband, police officer Mukesh Kumar Tiwari, says the District Education Officer (DEO) Sandeep Kumar demanded a Rs 50,000 bribe to approve the leave, which the family offered only half of. On the day she went into labour at the school, Pandey sought the DEO’s office for clearance, was taken to a hospital, and doctors confirmed the foetus had died in utero. Deputy Commissioner Dilip Pratap Singh Shekhawat contended the application was for child‑care leave, not maternity, and that it was finally approved on the day of the incident. He ordered a departmental probe, recommending the DEO be transferred or suspended and indicating an FIR may be filed if evidence of bribery emerges. The case has sparked local outrage over maternity‑right implementation and alleged corruption in government offices.