Collector Steps In With Show-Cause Notice
Rajgarh Collector Girish Kumar Mishra has issued a show-cause notice to Arjun Convent Higher Secondary School in Boda, giving the management three days to respond to serious allegations of student harassment and unlawful fee collection. The notice asks why a penalty of up to Rs 2 lakh should not be imposed on the institution under the applicable Act, and makes clear that failure to reply will result in administrative action.
The notice, issued after scrutiny of a formal complaint, specifically cites mental harassment of the student, fee-related coercion, negligent conduct, and defiance of government directives. The complaint had been submitted simultaneously to Boda police station, the District Education Officer, and the Rajgarh Collector.
State and National Medals, Then Classroom Humiliation
The student at the centre of the dispute, Vikas Mandloi of village Mandavar, has been enrolled at Arjun Convent Higher Secondary School since nursery. He claims to have participated in several tournaments and represented the school at state and national level, winning multiple medals in the process. Despite this record, when financial hardship caused a delay in his fee payment, he was reportedly made to stand outside the classroom rather than attend class. He was eventually permitted to sit for his examinations, but was charged Rs 3,000 as a late fee.
Vikas also alleges that the school collected bus charges from him even though he travels to school on his own vehicle. He says he used the school bus on only two days, when his scooter broke down, yet the school billed him for bus services as though he were a regular bus user.
Family Depends on Two and a Half Bigha of Land
Vikas's father, Laxminarayan Mandloi, explained that the family's livelihood rests entirely on just two and a half bigha of agricultural land, which keeps their income tight. An occasional delay in school fee payment is simply a reflection of that reality, he said. He alleged that the school management exploited this vulnerability to build pressure on his son and subject him to sustained mental distress. When Laxminarayan himself went to discuss the matter with the school administration, the exchange turned into a dispute rather than a resolution.
From Police Station to the Collector's Office
After exhausting informal channels, Vikas escalated the matter formally, filing an application at Boda police station and submitting written complaints to the District Education Officer and Collector Girish Kumar Mishra. The Collector's review of those complaints triggered the show-cause notice to the school. The case has since ignited a broader conversation in the area about how private schools treat students, particularly those from economically weaker families. All eyes are now on the school management's response and the administration's next move.
