Tamluk, Aug. 19: More than half of the government-aided schools in East Midnapore have banned students from carrying cellphones to class after some boys were caught sending MMS of pornographic video clips to girls at a Tamluk school earlier this month.

District inspector of schools Dipankar Roy said there was no law against carrying cellphones to class in government-run and government-aided schools. “Phones are banned only in exam halls. However, most high schools in the district (and in Calcutta) have banned students from bringing cellphones,” he said.

Tamluk High School is the first school in the district to have imposed the ban after some girls complained that a few of their male classmates were sending MMS of pornographic clippings downloaded from the Internet to them. This is probably the first time in Bengal that such an incident has been reported.

Teachers also complained to the school authorities that students were listening to music on their cellphones.

However, during a surprise check last week, teachers confiscated cellphones from 40 Class XI and Class XII students.

“We told their parents that if their children were found with phones on the school campus again, they would be expelled,” said Tushyamitra Maity, the headmaster of Tamluk High School.

Soon, more than 200 of the 400 high schools in the district imposed a similar ban.

Somnath Mishra, the headmaster of Hamilton High School in Tamluk, said there was rampant use of cellphones by senior students in his school. “Although ours is a boys’ school, we decided to ban students from using cellphones in class after hearing what happened at Tamluk High School,” Mishra said.

The authorities of Kolaghat Thermal Power Project High School said they had asked the teachers to “keep a strict watch on students” so that they cannot bring cellphones to school.

School education minister Partha De said: “We have not issued any specific instructions to schools. But schools can always ban students from using phones in class.” Most private schools in the state do not allow students to use mobile phones on the premises.

Slap damages ear

A Class XII student was left with a damaged eardrum after the headmaster of his Asansol school allegedly slapped him. Manojit Halder said Somnath Majumdar slapped him when he went to his room to inform him that a lady teacher had called the headmaster to the common room.