Kolkata school principal steps down after protests over student's death

The principal of a north Kolkata school has agreed to resign under pressure from parents, after a 11-year-old student died reportedly because of the mental trauma she suffered after being harassed by her seniors. CNN-IBN reported the principal, Helen Sarkar, had apologised to the agitating parents, assuring them the school will conduct a thorough investigation and punish the guilty.

Deputy commissioner of Barrackpore commissionerate Debasish Bez, who was present at the school premises, told the agitators that principal of Christ Church Girls school had handed over a paper to him, purported to be her resignation letter.

However, refusing to accept the letter as a resignation letter, the agitating guardians demanded that the principal should tender it on a school pad and it should be duly stamped.

  [caption id=“attachment_1104873” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Helen Sarkar. Ibnlive[/caption] Angry parents protested near the school and vandalised school property demanding strict action against the principal. The police had to use batons to disperse the angry protesters who destroyed a lot of school property during the rampage. Claiming that similar incidents have happened with other junior girls of the Christ Church Girls’ School, the parents and guardians accused the principal of inaction, despite full knowledge of the incidents. Class V student Aindrila Das was allegedly “heckled and tortured” by some Class VIII students of the school for not paying them Rs 100 that they wanted. After Aindrila’s parents registered a police complaint against the school’s authorities, a team arrived at the school to question the authorities. As irate parents had already laid a siege outside the school, policemen found themselves unable to meet the principal. “I have lost my daughter. But at least her death has created awareness which will help save many little girls from the menace of ragging,” the victim’s father Santanu Das said. With agency inputs