Safia Bibi at her home. Picture by Krishna Das

Burdwan, June 18: An SUCI candidate in a Burdwan panchayat has been sacked as a school midday meal cook, allegedly under pressure from a Trinamul leader.

Safia Bibi, a resident of Biruri in Ketugram-I block, lodged a complaint yesterday with the acting sub-divisional officer alleging that the headmaster did not intervene when Trinamul workers, led by local party leader Afruq Sheikh, told her not come to the Biruri Primary School, where she cooked midday meals for students.

“I have filed my nomination for the Berugram gram panchayat as an SUCI candidate. That is why I have been sacked from the school,” Safia said.

Safia, a member of a local self-help group who had joined the school as a cook in 2004, said she was told not to come to work anymore when she went to the school after the summer vacation.

“Sheikh and his associates told me in the presence of the headmaster not to come to the school anymore. They also asked the headmaster to ensure I was not given any work at the school,” Safia said.

Although the headmaster declined comment when asked if Sheikh and his aides had forced him to sack Safia, he admitted that he was “scared” after threats from “unknown people”.

Burdwan Trinamul said the party was “not aware” of the incident.

According to Safia, she was the only earning member in the family. Her ailing husband is bedridden and their two daughters study in school.

Safia said her repeated requests to headmaster Biren Hatui to take her back fell on deaf ears.

“The headmaster told me he was scared that he would be beaten up by unknown people who had threatened him if he came to my rescue,” Safia said.

Sheikh declined comment on the allegations.

The Trinamul MLA from Ketugram, Sheikh Shahnawaz, said he was “not aware” of the incident. “I will enquire into the complaint,” he said.

Sub-divisional officer R. Arjun said today that he had asked the headmaster to reinstate Sofia as a cook.