Education Minister Bratya Basu Thursday said the assault on the principal and other staff of Meghnad Saha College at Itahar in North Dinajpur by alleged TMC supporters was an isolated incident and a probe has been initiated in the matter. Meanwhile,teachers from the college refused to stand as invigilators during the ongoing examinations. Whatever happened is uncalled for. Under no circumstances,assault on any principal will be tolerated, Basu said,adding action will be taken against offenders once he gets the probe report. Basus statement comes a day after his cabinet colleague and Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim pointed finger at the principal. If you look into it,you will find that she is the wife of a CPM leader and has done it on purpose, he had told reporters Wednesday. On August 27,Pompa Paul,wife of Itahar Zilla Parishad member and TMC leader Gautam Paul,was caught cheating during exam. After her papers were seized,she called up her husband,who,allegedly along with other TMC supporters,vandalised the college and assaulted principal Swapna Mukherjee,an assistant teacher and a group D staff. Yesterday,Mukherjee filed an FIR followed by a counter-FIR by Pompa. Meanwhile,teachers of the college turned up wearing black badges today. They refused to stand as invigilators and asked Gaur Banga University authorities to send officials. The examination began at 11 am but the invigilators arrived 30 minutes late during which the students took the exam unguarded. Later,controller of examination caught six students cheating with one resisting when his paper was taken away.
