Odisha: School headmistress takes on hoodlums, faces threat

BHUBANESWAR:The Syed Mumtaz Ali Government High School management has lodged a complaint with the police alleging that miscreants are not only trespassing into the school premises but also indulging in unlawful activities such as alcohol and drug consumption during working hours.

Headmistress Kadambini Das lodged the complaint with Nayapalli police stating that anti-socials are assembling on the campus during school’s working hours and consuming alcohol for which women teachers and students are feeling insecure.

Das said she was abused and threatened by a group of anti-socials when she objected to their illegal activities on March 26 evening. The school is located in Behera Sahi of Nayapalli.The headmistress said she received information that anti-socials elements had trespassed into the school premises and were digging the playground with help of an earth mover on Monday evening. She reached the school and found out that the JCB machine was being employed to dig the playground in presence of anti-social elements.
“When I objected, they threatened me with dire consequences and asked what I was doing in the school after the working hours. I went to my office and called the police control room. On seeing the PCR vehicle, the miscreants fled the spot,” Das stated in her complaint.

The miscreants returned and abused Das and her husband who was recording the entire incident on his mobile phone. They allegedly did that right in front of the PCR personnel following which the couple ran to the office of Das to avoid any untoward incident, she added.

In her complaint to Police Commissioner YB Khurania, Das alleged that when she called the police control room for help, the PCR van reached the spot nearly after an hour. The school was selected as one of the centres for HSC examinations and its officials urged the Police Commissioner  to direct the PCR for regular patrol near the campus. While the school had no boundary wall, anti-socials were intimidating workers assigned to carry out the construction.

“We have received the complaint and launched an investigation into the matter,” a cop posted at Nayapalli police station said. “The outsiders were possibly constructing a pitch on the school’s playground. Probe is on and action will be taken accordingly,” he added.