Day before reopening of schools, 2 teachers trade blows in Bengal

In a bizarre incident just a day before the reopening of schools in West Bengal, two teachers -- a headmaster and an assistant teacher -- of a government school in Nadia district got engaged in a physical brawl over personal dues.

The other teachers and employees had to rush in to bring the situation under control.

The incident took place at Krishnanagar Collegiate School where headmaster Monoranjan Biswas and assistant teacher of geography, Nimai Majumdar, got involved in a fight in front of the headmaster's room on Wednesday afternoon.

According to Majumdar, he had asked for his salary slip which the headmaster refused following which he went for a sit-in-demonstration in front of the headmaster's room with a placard in his hand.

"The headmaster physically assaulted me," Majumdar told the media.

However, eyewitness to the incident said that when Majumdar was sitting in demonstration in front of the headmaster's room, Biswas was trying to give clarification to other assistant teachers.

"Suddenly Majumdar came and slapped Biswas on his head. Biswas turned around and replied with a blow. The other teachers rushed in and handled the situation," an assistant teacher present on the spot said.

Several teachers complained that the two teachers were in conflict with each other over petty issues but today the matter reached an extreme stage.

"He (Biswas) has been indulging in different kinds of wrong practices in the school. I have been protesting against this for a long time. I don't know how he can stay in the school after this," Majumdar told the media.

The incident has raised several questions regarding the reopening of schools in the state. The West Bengal government has announced plans to start classes from VIII to XII, but parents have raised questions that if the teachers fight with each other before the opening of schools, then what is the future of the students?

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