A viral video from Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, shows a school headmaster assaulting a Basic Shiksha Adhikari with a belt. At the centre of the dispute is teacher Avantika Gupta.
A shocking video from Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur district has brought a little-known primary school teacher, Avantika Gupta, into the spotlight. The viral clip shows Brijendra Kumar Verma, headmaster of Nadwa Primary School in Mahmudabad, attacking Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) Akhilesh Pratap Singh with a belt during a heated argument. At the centre of this storm is Gupta, whose name has surfaced repeatedly in the ongoing controversy.
The Background Of The Dispute
Avantika Gupta is currently posted at Nadwa Primary School in Mahmudabad, Sitapur. She served under headmaster Brijendra Kumar Verma until recently. Reports suggest that Gupta had allegedly been absent from duty for a prolonged period, creating friction between school staff and higher officials.
According to a leaked audio clip, BSA Akhilesh Pratap Singh allegedly instructed the headmaster to continue marking Gupta’s attendance despite her absence. In the recording, Singh is heard saying, “If the villagers ask, tell them the teacher is on medical leave.” The headmaster objected, pointing out that villagers often saw Gupta’s vehicle passing daily and questioned why she never attended school.
This disagreement over Gupta’s attendance soon escalated into a full-blown conflict.
Escalation And The Viral Video
On September 23, Verma was summoned to the BSA’s office to respond to complaints that he had been harassing the female teacher. The meeting quickly turned hostile. Video footage, which later went viral on social media, shows Verma slamming his file on the desk before pulling out his belt and striking Singh multiple times.
Singh later told reporters, “When he could not answer my questions, he became aggressive, pulled out his belt, and attacked us.” Witnesses intervened and pulled Verma away, but not before Singh was hit several times.
Legal Action And Political Fallout
Following the incident, police arrested Brijendra Verma, and a case was filed against him. However, the matter did not end there. Villagers and students staged protests outside the school, demanding Verma’s release and alleging that the BSA had been pressuring him to make false entries for Gupta.
The controversy soon reached the state capital. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognisance of the matter, and BSA Akhilesh Pratap Singh was suspended pending further investigation. Meanwhile, Verma’s wife, Seema Verma, publicly accused Singh of pressuring her husband to cover up Gupta’s absence.
The Role Of Avantika Gupta
While much of the spotlight has been on the violent confrontation, the name at the root of this clash remains Avantika Gupta. A relatively unknown primary school teacher, she has now become the subject of a high-level inquiry. Officials are investigating her attendance records, the alleged instructions from the BSA, and her role in triggering the dispute.
As of now, Gupta has not made any public statement. Her silence, coupled with the conflicting narratives from both sides, has only deepened the mystery surrounding her involvement.
Wider Implications
The incident has sparked conversations about accountability and corruption within the education system. Questions are being raised about why attendance records could allegedly be manipulated and whether favoritism or pressure played a role.
For villagers in Nadwa, the issue is personal. Their children’s education has been caught up in a storm of allegations, administrative negligence, and now, physical violence between officials.
What Lies Ahead
Investigations are ongoing into both Gupta’s absence and the violent outburst by the headmaster. For now, one fact is clear: a classroom dispute in a small Sitapur school has snowballed into a major controversy shaking Uttar Pradesh’s education department.
As the inquiry continues, all eyes remain on Avantika Gupta—the teacher whose name has become central to one of the state’s most dramatic education scandals.