Classes shut for paddy work

Harvested paddy being threshed in front of the classrooms on Monday. Picture by Nantu Dey

Harvested paddy being threshed in front of the classrooms on Monday. Picture by Nantu Dey

TT, Raiganj, June 2: A government-sponsored primary school on the outskirts of Raiganj town could not hold classes today, the first day after the summer holidays, as a local Congress leader had stored harvested paddy in the two classrooms of the institution.

Today around 11am, the 30-odd children who had assembled in front of the school were told to go home while three labourers threshed paddy in front of the classrooms.

Padmapukur Free Primary School, 9km from here, is in the Maraikunda gram panchayat area. Ninety boys and girls study from Class I to Class IV.

Samsur Rehman, a former Congress member of Maraikunda gram panchayat, was in the school overseeing the process. He said he had taken permission from the school to store harvested paddy in the two classrooms. “I had taken permission from teacher-in-charge Subhamoy Das to store the paddy harvested from my fields in the school. I did not know that the school would reopen today. This morning, I saw a group of students here. I had already started the threshing work and could not stop it half way. I am sorry that classes could not be held. I will clear the classrooms by tomorrow,” he said.

Abdul Mannan, one of the two teachers of the school, said Rehman had used the classrooms in the past as well. “He is a former Congress gram panchayat member and had used the rooms before also to store paddy. I did not know that he had done the same thing this summer. I have informed the higher authorities,” Mannan said.

Teacher-in-charge Subhamoy Das could not be contacted.

The school’s headmaster retired three months ago and no one has replaced him yet.

Susanta Majumdar, the sub-inspector of schools (Raiganj Sadar), said he had asked the school to take immediate steps to ensure that classes were held from tomorrow. “I have asked the authorities to take steps so that classes can be held from tomorrow. I am inquiring into who allowed this,” he said.

Suman Goswami, a resident of the area, said the Congress leader had been using the school for many years. “Samsur Rehman is an influential leader of the area. He was a panchayat member during 2008-13. He has been using the classrooms to store paddy and jute during vacations. But classes had not been hampered before. Today, classes could not be held as threshed straw was being kept in the classrooms,” he said.

Haradhan Biswas whose daughter studies in Class III said the Congress leader used the school for his personal work throughout the year. “He would also store sacks of corn and wheat in the classrooms. Today, my daughter and the other students could not sit for classes. It was the first day after a month-long summer vacation. We protest this,” he said.

The school’s summer vacation started from May 1.

Congress North Dinajpur district general secretary Pabitra Chanda said he would enquire into the incident. “If any party member has used the school for personal purposes without permission, we condemn that. I will ask our leaders to find out what actually happened,” he said.