Calcutta High Court Orders Investigation into Teacher's Humiliation by TMC Municipality Chairman

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court's Jalpaiguri Circuit Bench has instructed the District Inspector of Schools (Secondary) in Jalpaiguri to provide a comprehensive report regarding the alleged humiliation of a female teacher by the chairman of her school's managing committee, who also serves as the head of the Trinamool Congress-run Jalpaiguri Municipality.

Justice Kaushik Chanda issued this directive on Friday, with the official order being uploaded on Saturday morning.

Earlier this month, a video became viral showing Jalpaiguri Municipality chairman Saikat Chatterjee compelling a female teacher from Suniti Bala Sadar Girls High School to perform sit-ups while holding her ears within school premises.

Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, shared this video on social media, asserting that workplace humiliation of women, primarily by Trinamool Congress grassroots leaders, has become widespread in West Bengal.

Subsequently, Sutapa Das, the headmistress of Suniti Bala Sadar Girls High School, petitioned the Jalpaiguri Circuit Bench of the Calcutta High Court, requesting Chatterjee's removal from his position as chairman of the school's managing committee.

During Friday's hearing, Justice Chanda expressed significant disapproval of the conduct depicted in the video, describing it as "obnoxious." He then directed the district inspector of schools to investigate the matter thoroughly and present findings to the court within two weeks.

This incident is not Chatterjee's first encounter with controversy. In 2023, the alleged suicide of Pandapara Road residents—lawyer Subodh Bhattacharya and his wife Aparna—after consuming poison generated considerable public outrage. Their suicide note reportedly implicated Chatterjee, who was then serving as the district president of the Trinamool Congress youth wing and municipal vice-chairman, along with several other TMC councillors.