Suri, Aug. 7: The villagers of Banshra in Birbhum, where a Class-I student was crushed to death by a truck on Friday when he had gone out to relieve himself, today allowed the school to resume classes on the assurance that all three toilets would be opened for students.
The villagers, however, told the district inspector of schools that the headmaster and two teachers must not attend the school as it was them who had barred the students from using the toilets, prompting them to go out to relieve themselves.
Sheikh Afridi of Class III had told The Telegraph on Saturday that the three toilets of the co-ed Banshra Primary School, 30km from Santiniketan, were always kept locked so that the students could not dirty them, an allegation also made by many guardians after Rijauddin's death on Friday and denied by the headmaster.
The toilets are unlocked only when the headmaster and the school's four teachers use them, students and guardians had said.
The villagers of Banshra today submitted a petition to the sub-inspector of schools, Zahir Abbas, who persuaded the villagers to allow the school to resume classes. However, only 39 of the 178 students attended classes today.
Raja Ghosh, the chairman of the district primary school council, said: "I had sent the SI and other officials to Banshra village on Sunday to convince the villagers and help us run the school. For the time being, we are not sending the headmaster and the two teachers who have been accused of not allowing the students to use the toilets."
"It was important to reopen the school first. We will take stern action against the accused teachers if they are found guilty. The sub-inspector of schools is carrying out an investigation," Ghosh added.
The students who attended classes were served mid-day meals.
"I found that there is a grievance among the guardians against some of the teachers. We have assured them that from now, no student would go outside the premises during school hours to relieve themselves. We will send others teachers to the school soon," Abbas said.
