Teacher accused of locking student in classroom after early closure

Alipurduar: Allegations have surfaced against school authorities for locking a class IV student inside a classroom after school hours. The incident occurred on Monday at Board Free Primary School number 2 in Kamakhyaguri, Alipurduar. It is alleged that school ended early around 2 pm on that day.

Questions have arisen regarding how teacher Ashalata Sarkar locked the student inside. When Premjit Roy, the student, did not return home after school, his grandfather, Purnya Roy, rushed to the school. There, he found his grandson locked inside the classroom, crying. He sought help from local residents, and the news reached the police.

Local panchayat member Bijay Debnath contacted the acting headmaster, Anwar Hembram, and the lock was eventually opened. The student was freed after about three hours. Due to being trapped in the room, Premjit fell ill. The incident has stirred anger in the community over the teacher’s negligence. The student’s grandfather, Purnya Roy, complained, “The accused teacher always wears earphones. The school closed before the scheduled time. I demand punishment for that teacher.”

However, the accused, Ashalata Sarkar, denied the allegations, stating, “I never wear earphones while on duty. I have never made such mistakes before. I don’t understand why this happened today.” She did acknowledge that the school closed much earlier than scheduled. District School Inspector Sujit Sarkar commented, “This was an unintended incident. We will investigate the matter.”