Bengali teacher dies of cardiac arrest while evaluating ICSE answer scripts in Kolkata
Times of India | 25 March 2025
12 Kolkata: Munmun Laha (59), a senior Bengali teacher at Anglo Arabic Secondary School, passed away while checking ICSE Bengali answer scripts at the Bhawanipur Gujarati School on Monday, apparently after suffering a sudden heart attack. A cardiac patient, Laha had ignored her family's advice to stay at home — saying she had to meet the deadline — since she had been unwell for a couple days. She was rushed to Shambhunath Pandit Hospital, where she breathed her last.
Laha had arrived at the centre around 8:30 am for spot evaluation. Around noon, while the checked answer scripts were being packed for dispatch, she collapsed. She was sent to Sambhunath Pandit Hospital in a wheelchair, but could not be revived.
A teacher at the evaluation centre said Laha felt uncomfortable around 10 am and was kept in an isolation room to stabilise for two hours. She took Sorbitrate, which she was carrying in her handbag for emergencies, but it did not work and she started vomiting. Around 12 noon, she was rushed to the hospital accompanied by two staffers of the school. Two teachers who were at the centre for checking papers also accompanied Laha.
A senior official of Bhawanipur Gujrati School said: "Our school was an exam centre for ICSE. So many examiners come everyday to check answer papers. This examiner was not well. On Monday, when she was not feeling well, we sent him to the hospital with an attendant on a wheelchair. She was declared dead in hospital." However, the family has raised questions regarding the delay in taking her to a hospital.
A senior council official termed the incident as "very unfortunate". "She could have informed us that she was suffering from a heart ailment." Sources said she was suffering from heart disease and was feeling over the last two days. Her family asked her to skip work on Monday, but she declined.
Bengali teachers receive answer scripts ranging from 152 to 200 that they need to check at the centre, upload marks, pack, and dispatch within 12 days. They are paid Rs 25 for each answer script, and Rs 500 is given for convenience purposes every day.
Stress is inevitable in any profession, and it remains a principal trigger of cardiac diseases, said cardiac surgeon Kunal Sarkar. "The teacher could not have guessed that she would have a cardiac arrest. This appears to be a case of a ‘sudden cardiac event' that strikes without apparent signs or symptoms. Since she was not keeping well, she should have opted out of checking papers. It is a stressful job and involves long hours of focusing, which is not recommended for a cardiac patient. If she had a cardiac history, it was not a wise decision to serve as an examiner," he said.