Feb. 13: As angry activists of the DYFI and the SFI locked up a school to protest against truant teachers in Cooch Behar, a mysterious fire devoured a government-affiliated school in its neighbouring district of Balurghat.

By the afternoon, however, the lock was off, after the teachers submitted a written assurance to follow the rule-book and be more dutiful towards their students.

Secretary of the Tapurhat unit of DYFI Padmakanto Roy said: “We had no other option. The teachers come to the school after 12 noon and leave for home by 2 pm after a chat in the teachers’ room. Repeated appeals to the managing committee to take action failed to draw any response. So fed up were the guardians that they too endorsed our move.”

School managing committee secretary and local CPM leader Ahmed Hossain said: “We froze the salaries of the teachers on charges of dereliction of duty three months ago. They were paid only after submitting a written assurance that they would take regular classes.”

Tapurhat unit secretary of the SFI Bhaskar Modak threatened that today’s was the last warning to the teachers. “If they continue to evade duties like this we shall take strict measures,” he said.

Admitting that the teachers shirked responsibility, the school principal said: “I can tell you this much that I do my duties with all sincerity and maintain punctuality.”

Far away in Rampara under Tapan police station area in Balurghat, unidentified miscreants set fire to a school building. Some of the students watched in dismay as flames licked the school building under the inky sky. The government-affiliated Naogan Junior High School was the only educational hope for this remote village.

Secretary of the school managing committee Mohammad Samsuddin said it was a mystery how the school caught fire. “It was a subversive act. Everything, including important files and furniture, was turned into ashes. Due to lack of communication system, even the fire brigade could not be informed,” he said.

An FIR has been lodged with the police.

The matter has been brought to the notice of the chairman of the zilla parishad and the district inspector of schools, Samsuddin said.

According to him, more than 60 per cent of the students belong to the minority community.