Krishnanagar, Feb. 2: A brawl over salary statements required for income tax calculation turned into a violent fight between the headmaster and an assistant teacher in front of media persons at the 175 years old Krishnagar Collegiate School on Wednesday causing sheer embarrassment to the other teachers, students and the residents across the town.
Teachers fight at Krishnagar Collegiate School
Headmaster Manoranjan Biswas and geography teacher Nimai Majumdar beat up each other, used foul language, and jostled aggressively until other teachers and non-teaching staff present at the campus came up to isolate them.
State Education Department has show-caused both the erring teachers asking them to submit their reply by February 7. At the same time, the state government has also sought a report on the incident from the District Inspector of Schools, Nadia.
The residents of the town claimed that the incident put a blot on the status of Krishnagar Collegiate School where eminent poet playwright Dwijendralal Roy once had studied.
Both the teachers, however, appeared to be repentant and sought an unconditional apology later.
The contention broke out at the school campus on Wednesday when Majumdar began a sit-in demonstration in front of headmaster Biswas’s chamber protesting an alleged denial of providing his salary statement for the current financial year. Majumdar alleged that the Biswas owing to certain differences in opinion with him have been harassing him and denying the statement which he needed for advance calculation of income tax.
“I have been attached to the school for the last 20 years. I never expected such humiliating treatment for my legitimate claim of salary statement. I
have been trying to obtain it since December. But, every time I have been denied with the last one today when the clerk said he was directed not to issue it to me. So I decided to stage a silent protest but lost my cool when I noticed that the headmaster was blaming me for the wrong reason before the media persons”, told Majumdar who later fell ill and was taken to the Nadia district hospital.
Headmaster Biswas, however, rubbished the allegation. “There was no such demand for the salary statement. He never asked me for it..why should I deny it? I heard he had a problem with the head clerk of the school. He plan fully attacked me in front of all when I retaliated in self defence”.
“But I am ashamed of what I have done. It was an instant reaction. I lost my cool. But It could have been avoided”, the headmaster added further. He also posted his apology on social media.
Subir Sinharoy, elderly alumni and theatre personality said, “Three generations of my family read in this school. But never had we found a teacher who put such disrespectful instances in front of the students. I felt very embarrassed today”.