Kolkata, Sep 9 (PTI) A day after the headmaster of a 150-year-old school in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri was assaulted by students following a controversy over a special midday meal, the School Education Department on Wednesday blamed both sides for the incident after a preliminary inquiry.
The headmaster of Jalpaiguri Zilla School was also accused of beating up a few students, following which he was assaulted on Tuesday.
Headmaster Dharmachand Barui, who was injured in the attack, was granted 15 days’ leave from September 9, the department said in a statement.
A special midday meal is generally served to students on the occasion of Teachers’ Day, and it was supposed to be provided to students on Tuesday. However, a section of the students complained that they were not given rice and chicken in adequate quantity.
A preliminary enquiry into the incident has been conducted by the District Inspector of Schools (Secondary Education), Jalpaiguri.
“The actions of both the headmaster and the students are unfortunate. The incident has been viewed seriously by the School Education Department, and necessary corrective steps would be taken after due enquiry,” the statement read.
School Education Minister Dipak Barman is scheduled to visit the institution on Friday to take stock of the situation, it said.
The incident took place at the school during a dispute over the midday meal. The matter escalated after the headmaster allegedly beat up a few students, following which he was chased and assaulted.
A portion of his chamber was also vandalised by the students.
The headmaster was injured and subsequently taken to hospital. An injured student was also reportedly taken for medical attention.
The incident led to tension on the school premises, with police intervening to bring the situation under control.
The School Education Department stressed that grievances, if genuine, should be addressed through established channels rather than through preemptive action.
It said further corrective measures would be taken after completion of the inquiry.
Earlier in the day, officials led by District Inspector of Schools (Secondary) Sujit Sarkar inspected the headmaster’s chamber, including its damaged glass door, the room where the midday meal is prepared, and other parts of the school, and took photographs and videos as part of the process.
“It is an internal matter of the school. We came for an inspection following Tuesday’s incident. The entire matter will be reported to the education department,” Sarkar told reporters.
Attendance of students at the school, which was established in 1876 in north Bengal’s Jalpaiguri town, was also reported to be considerably low on Wednesday following the violence a day ago.
According to eyewitnesses, the students chased the headmaster, pushed him to the ground and assaulted him.
The situation prompted the authorities to deploy Rapid Action Force personnel at the school.
The police reached the school to rescue the injured headmaster, but students obstructed the personnel, officials said.
Police eventually managed to persuade the students and took the injured principal to hospital. An injured student was also taken for medical treatment.
The assault on a teacher at the school has triggered widespread condemnation, prompting the state education department to order an investigation. PTI SUS NN
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