Kolkata: Angry protesters — mostly parents and guardians — laid siege to a West Bengal school yesterday forcing its principal to resign for the death of a minor girl student after being “bullied”.
The Mamata Banerjee government derided the “hooliganism” but assured strict action against all those responsible for the girl’s death, which her parents claimed was due to trauma and shock following the incident.
Oindrila Das, 10, a Class 5 student of Christ Church School in Dum Dum on Kolkata’s northern outskirts, died on Wednesday a week after she was allegedly locked up inside the school toilet by some of her seniors who demanded money from her.
Parents and guardians ransacked the school demanding the arrest and removal of principal Helen Sarkar, alleging negligence and inaction by her.
With the agitation stretching late into the evening warranting heavy police deployment, Sarkar not only apologised publicly for the incident and assured strict action, but later tendered her resignation which was read out by police.
“I take full responsibility and hereby tender my resignation as the school principal,” said a police officer, who read out Sarkar’s resignation on the microphone. But the move failed to pacify the protesters as “the resignation was written on a plain paper which has no value”.
“Does she think we are fools? We will not relent unless she tenders her resignation formally on the school’s official letterhead and sends it to the authorities concerned,” said a protester.
Police had a tough time controlling the protesters and their repeated pleas to pacify the crowd failed.
The siege was later lifted after Sarkar formally put down her papers.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called up the bereaved family assuring action.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights also took up the matter and asked the state government to initiate a probe.
“The chief minister today called up Oindrila’s mother and expressed shock and grief over the girl’s death, and assured proper action,” the victim’s uncle Alokesh Das said.
State Education Minister Bratya Basu later visited the family and promised strict action against the guilty.
“We have already ordered a probe. All those involved in this will be strongly dealt with. But this hooliganism which is going on in the school is completely unacceptable. This should be stopped immediately,” said Basu.
School authorities maintained Oindrila did not inform them about being locked up, but her parents rubbished it. A school teacher Kajari Pal said the minor had tried to inform her about the incident.
“She was trying to tell me that something wrong had happened with her, but could not explain properly. So I asked her to bring her parents. But unfortunately she fell ill and eventually died,” said Pal.
Yet to come to terms with their loss, Oindrila’s parents demanded punishment for those involved.
IANS
