Kasturi Sen outside Akra Krishnanagar Girls’ High School on Monday; (above) the teacher in the classroom. Pictures by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

A teacher barred by the headmistress from coming to school in a salwar-kameez has vowed to go to the classroom in that dress from Tuesday.

Kasturi Sen, of Akra Krishnanagar Girls’ High School at Mahestala on the city’s southern fringes, took her fight to wear the dress she felt comfortable in a notch higher after the school committee sat in judgement on Monday.

Sen had been arriving in school in a salwar-kameez and changing into a sari before going to the classroom till now.

Dipanwita Pal, the headmistress of the state-aided Madhyamik school, would not allow her even that and the managing committee held an hour-long meeting but deferred a decision for a week.

Sen’s case has driven a wedge through the school’s teachers and students.

The trouble started last week when Sen started coming to the school wearing a salwar-kameez. Pal told the 24-year-old woman that she should come to the school only in saris.

Sen, a Bengali teacher, joined the school last November. Though the school has no dress code for teachers, Sen — Tollygunge resident — followed the standard practice of wearing saris to school till last week.

“But in monsoon, it became impossible for me to come in saris. So, I requested the headmistress to allow me to come in salwar-kameez. But she turned down the plea,” Sen told Metro.

Every day, Sen has to travel over one hour — first in an autorickshaw, then a local train and finally a cycle-rickshaw — to reach the school. But the arguments did not find favour with Pal, who told her that considering the social atmosphere and location of the school she could not allow anybody to come in a salwar-kameez.

“Initially, I tried to make her understand but finding no other alternative I referred the matter to the managing committee,” said Pal.

The denial made Sen determined and she decided to switch to salwar-kameez while travelling to and from school. “I used to bring saris with me and change in the school before going to class. But the headmistress had a problem with this as well,” added Kasturi.

A section of 23 teachers and over 1,100 students and members of the Pragatisil Siksha Mancha, which fights for educational rights, have stood in favour of Sen.

“No one can interfere in anyone’s freedom. How can the school stop her from wearing a salwar-kameez?” asked Abhijit Banerjee of the Mancha.

Some students and teachers have, however, rallied around the headmistress and both sides stuck to their stands as the school managing committee took up the matter.

During Monday’s meeting, Sen and Pal were asked to explain their points.

“There is no dress code for teachers and so we cannot take any legal action against her. We will meet the guardians and inform her about our decision in a week,” said school secretary Ranjit Mondal.

The committee has requested Sen to wear a sari till it takes a decision. But Sen said: “Till today I was not wearing salwar-kameez in classrooms, but from tomorrow I will do that because I know they cannot stop me legally.”

School education minister Partha De said: “We can’t tell teachers what to wear and we’ve never done that.”

Earlier this year, seven teachers of Bakhrahat Girls’ High School in Bishnupur incurred the authorities’ wrath for wearing the salwar-kameez to work. But then finally won.