Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat came under heavy attack from Congress for his recent behaviour against a female government teacher who had gone to a janta burbar recently requesting the CM for her transfer from a distant location to some more accessible place.

The issue took a political turn with the Congress coming out in support of the suspended government teacher, Uttara Pant Bahuguna. The Congress burned effigy of Rawat in Dehradun and many other places in the hill state on Saturday, demanding the revocation of the suspension order of the teacher.

Uttara Pant Bahuguna, a 55-year-old widow, has been serving in a government primary school in Naugoan (Uttarkashi) since the past 25 years. She attended the Janta Durbar in Dehradun on 28 June. When she began interacting with Trivendra Rawat, the CM lost his temper and ordered the suspension and arrest of the female teacher.

The issue remained a hot one for a third day in Uttarakhand on Saturday and it is unlikely to settle soon.

Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Rawat’s wife Sunita landed in the firing line. Sunita is also a government teacher and she has been serving in Dehradun since 1996. Uttarakhand Congress president Pritam Singh said, “The state government should revoke the suspension order of the teacher. The BJP makes big claims about implementing a transparent transfer Act, but why is the Act different for the wives of BJP leaders, who continues to remain stationed in Dehradun since a long time. Today we burned the effigy of the CM and tomorrow we will sit on a dharna.”

The state government finds itself in a tight spot on the transfer Act. Even state education secretary Bhupinder Kaur Aulakh in her interaction with media in Dehradun on Saturday said, “Uttara Bahuguna is of the Uttarkashi district cadre. As per the rules, her appointment/promotion/ transfer can be done only in Uttarkashi district.”

The Congress is asking how CM’s wife Sunita from Pauri cadre is serving in Dehradun for 22 years.

Ex-Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat has asked Trivendra Rawat to cancel the suspension order of Uttara Pant Bahuguna and transfer her to an accessible location- considering her family condition. Trivendra Rawat and BJP remained tight-lipped on the controversy. With the CM getting slammed on social media, his media advisors appear to have run out of ideas to control the damage.