A probe by the Howrah district administration has unearthed an embezzlement of around Rs 10 lakh by the headmistress, former secretary and a clerk of a girls’ school.

District magistrate Khalil Ahmed has asked the district inspector of schools to lodge FIRs against Ramendranarayan Bhattacharya, the ex-secretary of Binadini Girls School, headmistress Ashoka Mukherjee and clerk Pranab Mitra.

The trio had allegedly withdrawn salaries of teachers who had either retired or gone on leave without pay.

“Following a probe by an official of the district administration, I have asked the district inspector of schools to lodge an FIR against the ex-secretary, headmistress and clerk,” said Ahmed. The DM’s letter reached the office of district inspector Alok Joardar on December 4 but the FIR has not yet been lodged. “I will file a complaint after a probe,” said Joardar.

The girls’ school and Akshay Shikshayatan (for boys) run from the same premises in Joynarayan Santra Lane. Bhattacharya was the secretary of both schools till the managing committees were dissolved around two years ago after some teachers complained about corruption to school education minister Partha Dey.

The complaint led to the appointment of a government official, Shyamal Mitra, as administrator of the school. Sources said the former secretary had admitted to Mitra that he had siphoned off money but promised to return it.

But since Mitra’s probe did not lead to any of the accused being hauled up, a teacher wrote to the district magistrate.

Citing instances of corruption, a source said Jyotsna Sen Roychoudhury had retired as assistant teacher of Binadini Girls School in May 2003. The school allegedly did not forward her pension papers to the government and, instead, kept drawing her salary.

Two other teachers, Alpana Daw and Susmita Mukherjee, have not been given the house rent allowance since they joined the school. A probe revealed that the school had been withdrawing the money in their names by submitting fake salary sheets.

Kaustav Dalal, a teacher of Akshay Shikshayatan, went on leave without pay two years ago. The school had not informed the government about this and kept drawing his salary. When the scam was exposed, the authorities paid back half the amount to the district inspector’s office. Bhattacharya said the salaries were withdrawn mistakenly. The headmistress refused comment.