Teacher's leave denial sparks sit-in protest with infant child in Uttar Pradesh

A government teacher's husband in Uttar Pradesh's Shravasti district sat on a protest holding his infant child after his wife was denied mandatory child care leave, sparking a political controversy that has now reached social media platforms and drawn sharp criticism from the opposition Congress party.

Diksha Saxena, a teacher posted at a primary school in the Ikauna development block area, applied online on 15 September 2026 for child care leave to look after her child Shivit Saxena. In her application, she had requested leave for a total of 19 days from 21 September to 9 October. Despite the prescribed time limit, the leave was not sanctioned by the authorities.

After repeatedly visiting departmental offices and receiving no hearing, the teacher's frustrated husband took matters into his own hands. He arrived at the Block Resource Centre (ABSA office) premises carrying his infant child and launched a sit-in protest demanding action.

The husband has made it clear that he will not end his protest until the department takes some concrete and appropriate decision regarding the leave application. He has stated firmly that the dharna will continue until his wife receives the child care leave she is entitled to under regulations.

The incident has taken on a political dimension after photographs and videos of the protest went viral on social media. The images of a father sitting with his young child outside a government office have sparked outrage in political circles across the state.

The Uttar Pradesh Congress has seized upon the incident, sharing the protest photograph on the social media platform X and launching a scathing attack on the state's BJP government and its administrative machinery. In its post, the Congress wrote that "in Shravasti, a husband sitting on dharna with an innocent child at the ABSA office because a teacher was not given leave is exposing the insensitive bureaucracy of Uttar Pradesh. In the BJP government that beats the drum of 'Uttam Pradesh', employees and their families are yearning for penny-by-penny justice."

The case has highlighted what critics say is the insensitive working style of the Basic Education Department in Shravasti district. Congress has accused the government of failing its own employees, alleging that workers and their families are being denied basic rights despite the administration's claims of good governance.

Following Congress's sharp attack, the Basic Education Department has been put on the back foot. Demands have intensified at the local level to fix accountability for the delayed sanction of leave that is a legitimate right under service rules.

The big question now remains what action will be taken against the responsible officers who suppressed the legal right of a woman employee. The incident has raised broader concerns about how statutory entitlements are being handled in the state's education department.