Jalpaiguri: The headmaster of Jalpaiguri Zilla School was left bleeding after being assaulted by students following an incident in which he allegedly beat up four Class 10 students during an altercation over a midday meal.On Tuesday afternoon, as the school prepared a special chicken curry and rice meal for Teachers’ Day, a few Class 10 students went to the kitchen seeking extra portions.According to the students, headmaster Dharmu Chand Barui entered the kitchen allegedly beat them without hearing them out. Barui allegedly dragged one student to a nearby wall and slammed his head against it, leaving him seriously injured. All four students were taken to hospital.The incident triggered protests on campus, with a group of students barging into Barui’s office, punching and kicking him. They chased him out of his office, continuing the assault. The headmaster fell during the altercation and suffered further injuries.Police arrived to rescue Barui, but students blocked the road when officers tried to take him away.Students also accused Barui of misconduct and alleged that midday meals had deteriorated under his administration.“He regularly tortures students… our midday meals have mostly been reduced to plain dal-bhat (rice and lentils). The last time we were served eggs was six months ago,” a Class 10 student claimed.Barui declined to comment to reporters while being escorted by police.
