To tackle trauma: Plans on to arrange counselling sessions for teachers, pupils

malda: An uneasy calm prevailed in the premises of Muchia Chandramohan High School a day after it witnessed the spine-chilling incident of an armed man taking the students of class 7 into hostage on Wednesday.

Out of about 1,852 students, only 200 had turned up for the classes on Thursday. About 17 students of class 7 attended the school on Thursday. The number was 71 on Wednesday. Teachers as well as students have been left traumatised after the incident.

The school compound was heavily guarded by the police on Thursday. The district administration arranged counseling sessions for both teachers and students. The headmaster of the school applied for security to the police and also requested for private guards for the school to the Managing Committee.

Nitin Singhania, District Magistrate Malda, said: “The Health department and Child Welfare Committee (CWC) have been directed to arrange counseling sessions for teachers and students of the school to combat the trauma. The representatives of the district administration had also visited the school to make necessary arrangements.”

Jayanti Biswas of class 7, an eye-witness, said that she was feeling safe on Thursday due to the presence of a large number of police personnel in the school premises. “My friends said that they are still afraid and will not attend school out of fear. Only a few of us have made an effort to come to school and are attending classes as usual. The parents of our friends are also scared,” she added.

Swagatam Saha, the headmaster, said: “I talked to the students of class 7 first and then to teachers. A meeting with guardians is also being arranged. The issue of the guards for the school will be discussed with the Managing Committee.”

On the other hand, Azharuddin Khan, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Malda, was praised widely for his heroic act to save the children from the clutches of the armed man. Throwing caution to the wind, Khan decided to barge into the classroom in disguise of a scribe and nab the culprit according to the plan plotted on the spot.

Risking his own life, he kept his cool and talked to him as a journalist waiting for the right time to attack. Finally, as the accused shifted focus Khan pounced on him and was backed up by others to disarm the man to neutralise the situation.

“Save time to save the children. This drove me to take action. The man would have turned more violent if more time had passed. So before the situation could go out of control, I nabbed him with the help of others,” said Khan. Meanwhile, the accused gunman, Deb Ballabh, was produced at the Malda court on Thursday. He has been remanded to 7 days police custody by the court.