Kolkata, August 22 (IANS) A section of students has been accused of entering the staff room of a school in West Bengal’s Malda district and assaulting a female non-teaching staff member over the denial of a transfer certificate (TC) to a former student, the police said on Saturday.
The incident took place at the Jagdala High School in Bamangola on Friday but came to light on Saturday after the woman lodged a police complaint against the school’s acting principal, alleging that he had instigated the students to assault her. A video purportedly showing the incident has also gone viral on social media.
The woman joined the Jagdala High School as a non-teaching staff member around a year and a half ago. According to her, an argument broke out on Friday over the issue of issuing a transfer certificate to a former student.
She alleged that students subsequently entered the staff room and assaulted her. The woman, however, also allegedly assaulted some of the students in return. She claimed that the students had the courage to attack her because of the alleged instigation and incitement of acting principal Amit Halder.
The woman has lodged a written complaint at Bamangola police station.
According to her complaint, the student’s name was incorrectly recorded in the school’s records, because of which she refused to issue the TC. She further alleged that Halder had earlier pressured her to do “immoral things” and had harassed her over the matter.
“The acting principal tried to force me to do immoral things before. They have laid hands on me. They have also made the students beat me up,” the woman alleged.
She has also complained against two teachers, Nani Roy and Biman Pal. The woman alleged various forms of corruption at the school, including irregularities related to the mid-day meal scheme. She further alleged that the TIC and others were influential during the Trinamool Congress government and that this influence prevented action against them.
She had earlier accused Halder of molestation and making inappropriate suggestions.
“We should be protected. Where do the students get the courage to enter the staff room and lay hands on Sir or Madam, unless they have someone’s support behind them?” she asked.
Halder denied all the allegations against him.
“That woman’s allegations are completely baseless. I have worked in that school for 18 years. I have been TIC for two years. She joined the job a year and a half ago. She does not do any work properly. There was a dispute about giving a TC to a student here. She abused me in foul language. After I said something, she turned around and slapped me. I do not know anything else about what happened outside,” Amit said.
“The students later told me that they were beaten up. On the orders of the police and administration, I went to the hospital for a medical examination. There, that woman and her husband beat me up. After beating me, I was thrown out on the street.”
Responding to the allegation of Trinamool influence, Amit said, “This is an educational institution. Trinamool or BJP has nothing to do with it.”
The BJP condemned the incident. South Malda BJP general secretary Biswajit Roy said, “The police and administration will investigate how the female school worker was beaten and take action. There have also been allegations of making inappropriate suggestions to the woman. Politics will not be tolerated in the school.”
Local Trinamool leader Biswajit Ghosh called for an impartial investigation and said whoever was found guilty should be severely punished. He claimed that the incident had nothing to do with the party.
— IANS
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