Villagers storm Rampurhat school, assault headmaster
Times of India | 19 September 2025Police were heavily outnumbered by the protesters and could rescue the headmaster and his colleagues only after reinforcements arrived. The protesters also blocked a village road.
Manoj Kumar Pal, a physics teacher at the school, was arrested on Sept 16 after the girl's parents accused him of abusing, kidnapping and killing the child. Officers said that following sustained interrogation, he led them to the spot where the girl's body parts had been dumped.
Police had detained Pal on Sept 1 for questioning but released him because of lack of evidence.
The class 7 girl had been missing since leaving home for tuition on Aug 28 and his decomposed body parts were recovered from the ditch, around 4km from home, late on Tuesday.
Two sacks containing portions of the body were recovered, officials said. The lower half is still untraced. Cops suspect Pal was helped by another person in disposing of the remains.
The villagers entered the school as soon it opened on Thursday and assaulted the headmaster following an altercation. As he pleaded ignorance about the alleged involvement of Pal in the heinous crime, the group tore up his shirt, broke his glasses and pinned him to the ground before beating him up. Another group kept the other teachers confined in a room.
The handful of cops on the campus were no match for the angry protesters.
Later, a bigger force led by senior officers arrived and rescued the headmaster and persuaded the villagers to unlock the room where they had kept the teachers confined.
The villagers alleged that the school authorities were aware that the accused teacher was a pervert.
A teacher at the school, however, said on condition of anonymity, "We never found anything abnormal about him (Pal). He would regularly take classes and conduct other co-curricular activities. He was a bit shy but did not seem depraved."
The parents of the girl had mentioned in their complaint that Pal had touched their daughter inappropriately several times. According to the parents, Pal had once told the girl, "When you grow up, I will marry you. I will not let you go anywhere." Cops said classmates, too, have told them that the teacher frequently obstructed her path while she was on her way to or from school or tuition.
Manoj Kumar Pal, a physics teacher at the school, was arrested on Sept 16 after the girl's parents accused him of abusing, kidnapping and killing the child
