A senior Trinamool Congress councillor of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC), who also leads an association of primary school teachers, entered the office of the chairman of the district primary school council (DPSC) on Monday and allegedly misbehaved with him while speaking on the transfer of a school teacher.

Ranjan Silsharma is the councillor of ward 46 and the secretary of the West Bengal Primary Teachers Association (WBPTA), which is backed by Trinamool.

Silsharma, along with some members of the WBPTA, went to the office of Dilip Roy, the chairman of the DPSC of the Siliguri educational district.

“He misbehaved with the chairman while talking about the transfer of a primary school teacher and verbally abused him. It was unbecoming of him to behave in such a manner. We condemn it and steps should be taken against him,” said Abarna Das Dutta, president of the Darjeeling district (plains) of West Bengal Trinamool Primary Teachers’ Association (WBTPTA).

“What he did was hooliganism. Such behaviour is unacceptable. The chairman should take legal steps against him, and we will support him (chairman),” Das Dutta added.

On Tuesday, members of the WBTPTA took out a march in Siliguri to condemn Silsharma’s behaviour. Later, they met Roy and voiced their support for him.

This is the second time that the Trinamool councillor has been accused of misbehaviour while visiting the offices of the primary education department. In June 2009, Silsharma had squirted a mouthful of betel juice on the face of the then district inspector of schools (primary) following disagreements over a similar issue.

Silsharma, however, denied the charge. “The chairman had attached (transferred) a primary school teacher to another primary school four months ago. Again, the same teacher was attached (transferred) to an upper primary school. This is beyond the jurisdiction of the chairman and the sub-inspector of schools concerned,” he said.

“We went to the chairman’s office yesterday to find out how he could make such a decision. We did not misbehave with him,” Silsharma added.

Roy, the DPSC chairman, said the issue pertained to the Kharibari circle of Siliguri educational district.

“I will act according to the report sent by the sub-inspector of the circle concerned in connection with the transfer,” he said.

Asked about the alleged misbehaviour of the TMC councillor, Roy said he would take up the issue with the appropriate authority of the state school education department.

District TMC leaders declined to comment on the issue.

“We all know about his (Silsharma’s) attitude. He has been warned by the party many times. Yet, he resorts to highhandedness. The district leadership should act,” said a Trinamool functionary in Siliguri.