Angry parents thrash headmaster of Bengal school over murder of girl student

A school in West Bengal's Birbhum district became the site of a violent protest on Thursday, as angry parents and locals thrashed the headmaster, accusing him of protecting a teacher who was recently arrested for the murder of a girl student. The situation at Shyampahari Sri Ramakrishna Shikshapeeth in Rampurhat turned chaotic, forcing the police to intervene to disperse the irate crowd and rescue the headmaster, who had to be hospitalized for his injuries. The incident highlights the deep-seated anger and mistrust within the community following the gruesome crime.

The headmaster was attacked as soon as he entered the school premises. A mob of parents and local residents, furious over the headmaster's alleged inaction, surrounded and began beating him. The police, who were present at the scene, struggled to control the crowd. It was only after more police personnel were deployed that they were able to rescue the headmaster and send him for medical treatment.

The protesters' anger stemmed from the belief that the headmaster had repeatedly tried to shield the accused teacher, a physics instructor named Manoj Kumar Pal. An emotional parent told the media, "Can we send our children to this school where a teacher is accused of killing a student? The headmaster tried to shield him and did not take any action even after the parents of the deceased girl had pointed a finger at him." He further alleged that other students had also complained about the teacher's behavior in the past, but no action was ever taken.

The public outrage began on Wednesday after the Birbhum Police arrested Manoj Kumar Pal in connection with the murder of a Class VII student from the same school. The victim had been missing for about 20 days. The family of the deceased had filed a complaint accusing the physics teacher of kidnapping and murdering their child. Based on this complaint and subsequent investigation, the police took the accused into custody.

The details of the crime, as revealed by the police, are horrifying. The student's decomposed body was found dismembered and placed in a sack, which was then thrown under a bridge near Kalidanga village. The body has been sent for a post-mortem examination to determine the cause of death and whether she was subjected to any physical abuse before being killed.

The student had left her home on August 28 for her tuition classes and never returned. After filing a missing person's complaint, her family grew suspicious of the teacher and lodged a formal complaint against him, which led to his arrest and the subsequent recovery of the body. The tragic incident has not only traumatized the family but has also raised serious questions about the safety of students and the accountability of school authorities.