45-minute evacuation drive took 1,100 students from clash zone to safety
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Kolkata: As frenzied crowds went on the rampage outside the Rabindra Nagar Police Station and later, near the Akra Fatak market on Wednesday, Bengal as well as Kolkata Police had to keep in mind that more than 1,100 children were attending classs inside Sarbodaya Hindi Vidyalaya.
Even though the crowd went on the offensive, hurling stones, police could not immediately launch their pushback as their priority lay with the safety of the children. Police, the local administration and the school authorities undertook a 45-minute "evacuation" exercise that ensured all students returned home safely. "I have spent 16 years here but I have never come across such a situation. Stones were being thrown from everywhere.
I frantically called police, community leaders, the MLA and councillors. I wanted the earliest intervention," said Ajay Kumar Mahato, the head teacher at the school.
The first move was to shut the main gate of the institute. The 30-odd teachers at the school ensured none of the students stepped out of their classrooms. "Stones came flying into the school building, too. We were scared, and some children started crying.
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This school is next to the police station and yet, the crowds were beyond control," said B Patra, a teacher of English and Bengali at the school.
The head teacher contacted the guardians over the WhatsApp groups for the classes. "We asked the parents to come to the school. Senior police officers and the local people's representatives arrived and stood at the main gate to ensure nothing untoward happened to our students," said Mahato.
"Some of the parents managed to come to the school and take their kids home almost as soon as the mob dispersed around 3.30 pm. The rest waited till after 4.30 pm, until the situation was brought under control," Patra added.
Mahato said the teachers left an hour later but many faced difficulty commuting as no transport was available.
The school was open on Thursday, but none of the students attended, apparently fearing a possible repetition.
But Mahato said they had left the trauma behind and were already looking ahead. "The parents wanted to meet us personally and talk about the situation. As teachers, we have a responsibility. We plan to meet them at the earliest and discuss ways of establishing peace, harmony and security here. The school was kept open on Thursday, and 16 of our teachers turned up, but we have informed parents to send their wards only after careful consideration.
None of the students came to school on Thursday," said Mahato.
Tarannum Begum, who lives barely 200m from the school, said, "While bringing my daughters back from Sarvodaya Hindi Vidyalaya, I wrapped my arms around them as stones and bricks flew around. That mob did not care about women or children. They were on a mindless spree to destroy everything," she said. "It took us 30 minutes to return home amid the madness."
The other schools in the vicinity did not hold classes on Thursday. Akra Shaktinagar Rabindra Vidyapith, was turned into a temporary police camp with cops being deployed at the entrance. Kankhuly High School, a little away, was also kept closed. Cops were stationed at that gate, too. "The mob went on the rampage near a nursery school, too. None dared to send their children to school on Thursday," said Shyamal Chakraborty, owner of a restaurant in the Kankhuly area.
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