A government-aided school was indefinitely shut down following communal tension in West Bengal’s Howrah district.
According to an Indian Express report, around 100 students of the Tehatta High School on Tuesday marched to National Highway-6 and blocked the road. They protested against an order which has the school under lockdown for the last two months, preventing them from celebrating Saraswati Puja.
The students were accompanied by residents in the area. The protesters threw stones and police used teargas and baton-charge to disperse the crowd.
In November, a group of Muslim students approached school administration for permission to celebrate ‘Nabi Diwas’. They wanted to setup stage and hold a grand celebration. The administration denied the permission. The students reportedly roughed up the headmaster and forcefully organised the event with the help of outsiders.
According to residents quoted by Indian Express, there is communal tension during Saraswati Puja every year in schools that are located in Muslim-dominated areas like Tehatta.
The local administration shut down the school on November 29.
“Due to ongoing administrative problem, all classes at Tehatta High School are hereby suspended until further orders,” says a notice on the gate, dated November 29.
The police quoted by Indian Express said that they were anticipating trouble for next days. “We will keep a watch,” a police officer told Indian Express. A message that went out on the public address system mounted on an autorickshaw — stated: the administration requests you not to pay any heed to rumours, we will be watching.
