DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

A government school teacher in Tarn Taran district has been suspended after school students were made to serve snacks at an event, with Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains saying respect for students is "non-negotiable".

The action followed a media report that mentioned the incident at the Government Senior Secondary School in Goindwal Sahib, officials said.

A purported video of the incident, in which some students could be seen holding plates full of snacks at the school, went viral on social media.

The district education officer in Tarn Taran on Sunday suspended Gurpartap Singh, a Punjabi lecturer-cum-school in-charge, for "negligence".

The suspension order said that school students were made to work as "waiters" during the function at the school.

Education Minister Bains said in a post on X, "Taking strict note of the gross indiscipline at the Government Senior Secondary School, Goindwal Sahib, where students were made to serve snacks, the school in-charge has been suspended with immediate effect.

"The dignity and respect of our students is non-negotiable. Such misconduct is unacceptable and will not be tolerated under any circumstances."

(editor@dailyworld.in)