A teacher alleged that she was slapped by a student and by the college's rector at the Basdeo Bissoondoyal college in Flacq on Tuesday.

It is reported that the sociology teacher, Salonee Seewoobudul, 29, was in class when the incident started. The teacher reprimanded a student who was acting disorderly. Out of the 40 pupils in the classroom only 30 followed the sociology lessons and ten others were making noise. The teacher asked them to go to an empty room and this did not please the kids. Salonee asked one of the girls' her name and the girl in question grabbed a ream of papers and wrote it down. During the exchange, the student at one point allegedly slapped the teacher.

Salonee, headed to the rector's office, Damiantee Beeharry, to lodge a complaint. However, the student had reached her first and had already given her version of events. The rector asked Salonee why she had slapped the student before Salonne could give her version of the events. Salonee denied that she had slapped the pupil and told Beeharry that it was the other way round. Unhappy with the way the matter was progressing, as she saw that the head was taking the girls' side, Salonee told the head that she was resigning. According to the teacher, it was at this point that the rector lost her temper, grabbed her arm and slapped her.

The rector denied that she had assaulted the teacher and said that the teacher was twisting the affair to save her skin.

Both Beeharry and Salonee gave police statements on Saturday and Tuesday respectively.

Salonee said that she intended to sue the rector for defamation and raised the point that if it was true that she had assaulted the pupil, then why hadn't the girl made a complaint to the police.