Jalpaiguri, Sept. 8 -- Tension gripped historic Jalpaiguri Zilla High School on Tuesday after headmaster Dharma Chand Barui was allegedly assaulted by students during a dispute over a special meal organised to mark Teachers' Day. The headmaster sustained injuries and collapsed on the school premises, with bleeding from his nose and mouth.
According to Class X students, the school had announced on September 5 that a special meal would be served on Tuesday. During lunch, some Class X students allegedly entered the mid-day meal dining area, following which the headmaster allegedly assaulted four students. This triggered a confrontation, during which students allegedly attacked the headmaster.
Police from Kotwali Police Station, along with the Rapid Action Force (RAF), reached the school and rescued the injured headmaster. Students allegedly blocked the police initially and confronted the headmaster again while he was being taken away.
The students demanded his removal and alleged irregularities in the mid-day meal programme, including poor-quality food and alleged daily misappropriation.
The incident drew widespread condemnation. Former headmaster Dhiraj Mohan Ghosh said: "Such a situation is certainly not desirable. It is extremely important to review at the earliest why such a situation arose."
According to police sources, several injured students were also taken to Jalpaiguri Medical College and Hospital after requesting treatment. They were later handed over to their parents. The headmaster remained under treatment at the hospital till the time of filing this report.
No statement was available from the school authorities regarding the incident till the time of filing this report.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.