District magistrate R Lakshmanan (left) speaks to a student at the Darbhanga Collectorate auditorium on Friday. Picture by Mohan Mahato

Darbhanga, July 8: Incessant rain in Darbhanga over the week has brought unwanted guests to Kanya Middle School of Benta Chowk. But the students of the institution did not give their guests — flood-hit people — warm hospitality. Around 24 of them today met the district magistrate and collector, R. Lakshmanan, and urged him to help vacate the school building occupied by the flood victims.

Lakshmanan told The Telegraph: “I have heard the grievances of the students. They are demanding a repair of their school building and have sought help to vacate the building. I have sent senior deputy collector Binod Kumar and Laheria Sarae police to visit the school and get ground information of the incident.”

The rainfall over the week flooded Gammi pond under Benta police station. The villagers affected by the swollen Gammi moved in to the nearby Kanya school for shelter.

Since Monday, the academic process in the school went for a toss because of the unauthorised occupants, who have occupied four rooms out of eight in the school building.

Even after the school- children protested, the flood victims refused to vacate the rooms till floodwater receded from their huts near Gammi.

Sources said the school administration did not want to pick a fight with the residents and the administration had restrained the students to go against them.

Archana Kumari, a student of Class VIII of Kanya Middle School, who went to see the district magistrate, said she was asked by the principal not to return to school. The principal allegedly threatened not to give certificates to the students going to meet the district magistrate.

Ram Kumar Chaudhary, the principal of Kanya Middle School, Benta, said: “It is very difficult to teach students up to Class VIII in just two rooms but we cannot do anything. All efforts to vacate the rooms proved futile. Whenever the teachers and the students ask the villagers to vacate the rooms, they abused them.”

Chaudhary added that he had asked some students not to pick fights with the occupants because they could disturb the teaching process further. “However, some students had visited the district magistrate’s office but I have not been informed so far,” he said.

Incessant rain last week created a flood-like situation, particularly near the ponds of Darbhanga town. Around 25 people illegally occupied the school building as shelter against rain.

When students or teachers of the school asked the villagers to vacate the rooms, they hurled abuses at them.

Ganga Devi, one of the occupants at the school, said: “My hut is under water after continuous rain and thus we have taken temporary shelter at the school. When the water recedes from our houses we will vacate the school.”

Class VIII student Durga Kumari said the students, particularly of Class VII and VIII, were protesting against the unauthorised occupancy.

She said: “It disturbs our studies and the foul smell that wafts from their rooms is hampering our academic process.”