'Schools must not create fear among students'

The West Bengal government on Thursday said it was formulating rules to ensure that schools do not create fear among students as physical and mental torture pose hindrance to their natural development.

Making a statement in the assembly on the suicide of La Martiniere for Boys student Rouvanjit Rawla, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said it was mandatory to ensure that the atmosphere in schools do not, in any way, create fear among students.

The state government, he said, had issued circulars a number of times to make school administrations and inspectors aware of it. Some incidents, however, did take place which showed that school administrations and some teachers did not pay proper attention to the issue, he said, adding, "The school education department is formulating rules in this regard."

Bhattacharjee said Rawla had committed suicide at his residence on February 12. His father Ajay Rawla had filed a complaint at the Shakespeare Sarani police station against five teachers including principal Sunirmal Chakarvarthy saying that physical and mental torture by them led him to commit suicide.

Noting that it was revealed during police investigation that Rouvanjit was very jovial, Bhattacharjee said the class VIII student was admonished a number of times because of inattentiveness, bunking class and misbehaviour.

Rouvanjit was caned by Chakarvarthy due to these reasons a few days before the incident (his suicide), he said. Chakarvarthy had called him on February 12 for misbehaving in class and asked his parents to see him by writing a note in his diary.

The detective department of Kolkata police was investigating the case, he said. According to Bhattacharjee, a team was sent by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights to probe the incident.

The team had visited the school on June 8 and 9 and submitted its report to the Commission, Bhattacharjee said. He said that another three-member team visited the school claiming to having been sent by the Human Resources Development Ministry.

But it was found that the ministry had not entrusted any such responsibility to the team and the matter is being investigated, he said.