The principal of a government-run college in Nadia’s Chapra filed a police complaint that he was assaulted on Wednesday by a Trinamul worker for installing signage boards on a patch of government land identified as a biodiversity hotspot.

The boards were part of an awareness initiative to encourage environment conservation, he said.

Shaken and fearing for his safety, Subhasis Panda, principal of the Government General Degree College in Chapra and a gazetted officer under the West Bengal Senior Education Service (WBSES), has requested a transfer and is also contemplating resignation.

On Wednesday evening, a few hours after the alleged assault, Panda filed a police complaint accusing Trinamool worker Ajoy Ghosh, cousin of panchayat member and Trinamool leader Bidhan Ghosh.

The incident took place when Panda visited one of the green zones the college has been working to protect under his leadership.

Police and local sources confirmed that Panda, an active environmentalist, had spearheaded efforts to preserve several biodiversity-rich patches near the college in Chapra. Among other activities, Panda had signage boards installed to promote ecological awareness — a move that also contributed positively to the college’s National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) evaluation last year.

On Wednesday, after getting to know that some of the boards had been vandalised, Panda visited the affected area near the Rajibpur BSF checkpost with a colleague. It was then that Ghosh allegedly confronted him.

“Ajoy Ghosh was in a violent mood and abused me. I tried my best to make him understand that since it is government land and the initiative is for the sake of nature, there was no harm in putting up the signage. But he was rude and began roughing me up indiscriminately.... It was my colleague Manirul Hasan who saved me. I suffered an injury on my back and ear and went to Chapra Block Hospital for treatment. Later, I lodged a police complaint against him,” Panda said.

Breaking down in front of reporters, Panda said: “I tried to serve this institution and the environment sincerely, but I can’t continue here anymore. I will request the department to transfer me. If that’s not possible, I might consider resigning.”

As the incident became public, accused Ghosh met the principal and issued an apology on Thursday.

“I was drunk and had no control over myself,” Ghosh told reporters.

Local Trinamool MLA Rukbanur Rahaman condemned the assault. “Such an act can’t be tolerated. I have told the police to take action,” Rahaman said.

A senior police officer confirmed that a case has been registered against Ghosh.

Panda, who holds a background in environmental research, has been working to protect fragile species essential to the local agro-ecosystem.

His focus has been on preserving natural green belts and undisturbed biodiversity zones that support crop-friendly insect populations and overall environmental stability.

“Biodiversity isn’t just about animals or plants — it includes the entire ecological balance that supports farming, soil fertility, water quality, and human health. Destroying green spaces weakens that balance,” he said.

He said that in recent months, he had become increasingly alarmed by widespread clearing of roadside bushes and small forest patches — areas he identified as critical ecological habitats.

Sources claimed that certain individuals, allegedly with political backing, had been targeting these zones for illegal occupation and speculative purposes.

In response, Panda took the initiative to install informative signage to educate the public about the importance of conserving such areas for biodiversity, soil health, and environmental sustainability. However, his actions appeared to trigger hostility. The boards were repeatedly torn down, culminating in Wednesday’s confrontation.

Even after his assault, Panda said he was concerned about the conservation of biodiversity in Chapra.

The principal said: “I am afraid that these biodiversity hotspot conservation sites in Chapra may be under threat. These spots are a unique model in the world.”

Eminent environmentalists from abroad have shown eagerness to visit these sites in Chapra, Panda said.

These hotspots are shelters for hundreds of pollinators, rare snakes, earthworms, birds, jungle cats, and more than 50 medicinal plants, which need to be preserved,” he said.

In his police complaint as well, Panda appealed for urgent steps to protect these ecological zones.

“These sites must be preserved for future generations, for cultivation, for our better environment, for sustainability,” his complaint stated. “No matter even if they kill me for my endeavours.”

“But such hotspots need to be saved,” his complaint stressed.