The police on Wednesday arrested a Trinamool Congress panchayat member on the charge of assaulting the acting headmaster of a state-run school in 24 South Parganas district of West Bengal over a dispute about the collection of money for a trip, an officer said.
The member of the local panchayat was picked up from Kakdwip rail station.
“He was arrested on the basis of the complaint lodged by the acting headmaster of the school," the officer said.
Tridib Barui was caught on camera assaulting the acting headmaster in front of students at Birendra Vidyaniketan in Kakdwip on Tuesday. The accused, who is also the school managing committee (MC) president, allegedly grabbed headmaster Milankanti Pal by the neck and dragged him.
A video of the scuffle outside the school office has surfaced, though the acting headmaster alleged that CCTV footage from inside the office was deleted. PTI could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
Pal alleged that Barui on Tuesday tried to force him to sign a paper containing "false charges" that he had collected money without the managing committee's approval.
"When I refused, he used force, grabbed me by the neck and dragged me," Pal claimed, adding that he has been admitted to Kakdwip Super Speciality Hospital with injuries.
Before he was arrested, Barui rejected the charges and raised a counter-allegation against the teacher.
Pal "was collecting money without MC's permission. When I asked for receipts, he crumpled the paper and pushed me. He tried to hit me, and I was only defending myself," the TMC leader said.
State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya condemned the episode on social media, calling it evidence of "terror in the education sector." Education Minister Bratya Basu and Kakdwip TMC MLA Monturam Pakhira said the matter will be examined.
"If charges against Barui are proved, strict action will follow. The role of the acting headmaster will also be examined," Pakhira said.
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