A day after the tragic death of Class 5 student Oindrila Das, hundreds of irate parents went on a rampage at Dum Dum’s Christ Church Girls’ High School forcing principal Helen Sarkar to tender her resignation. Later, Ms Sarkar was arrested for negligence of duty on the basis of the FIR filed by the deceased student’s family.

Around 500 parents, mostly women, surrounded the principal and teachers for 10 hours. The head mistress and teachers remained confined to their rooms as hundreds of guardians were demanding the principal’s resignation and arrest. A section even demanded that the police hand over the principal to them.
Sources said that during the day-long drama, the police wanted to rescue the stranded teachers but gave up the idea due to the belligerent mood of the people. Finally after 8 pm, the teachers were whisked away from the school in police vans. A little earlier, one of the teachers who had fallen ill was evicted on a stretcher and was taken to a hospital in an ambulance.
The whole day angry parents ransacked classrooms, offices and the auditorium. They smashed furniture, computers, telephones and glass panes. As the day progressed the number of guardians started increasing, necessitating deployment of police and combat forces. The DC DD of Barrackpore Commissione-rate Debasish Bej rushed to the school and tried to control the situation. He repeatedly appealed to angry parents not to take law in their hands but his pleas fell on deaf ears.
At around 6 pm, on senior police officers’ advice, Ms Sarkar went to the first-floor balcony of the school building and with folded hands begged forgiveness for Oindrila’s “unfortunate death.”
But her apologies failed to placate the enraged parents. They claimed that other students had also been subjected to extortion and physical, mental torture. They alleged that the principal and some teachers treated the children inhumanely.
At around 6.30 pm, the police officer displayed the resignation letter of the principal. The parents refused to accept it because it was written on a plain paper. At last, Ms Sarkar resigned on the official pad of the school. “Now that all your demands have been met, please disperse,” the police officer announced on the microphone.
Meanwhile, chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called up the mother of the victim. “She called up and expressed her grief. She wanted to know what had happened to Oindrila,” said the deceased child’s mother Rekha Das.
The state higher education minister Bratya Basu ordered a probe. He also visited Das’ Baguiati home and offered his condolences. He gave assurance that proper action would be taken against the guilty.
However, he also condemned ransacking of the school by the parents. “We cannot stop ragging but the state government will definitely take action against those involved in it. First, we have to identify the students who were behind the ragging. However, no one can take law in their own hand and it (vandalism) is not justified,” he added
Appealing to the parents to show restraint, Oindrila’s father Santanu Das said, “I have lost my daughter. But at least her death has created awareness which will help save many little girls from the menace of ragging. This kind of protest will not serve any purpose.”