RANCHI: Amid the ongoing student protest at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi over alleged irregularities in JPSC and JSSC examinations, Gen Z and Gen Alpha students took to the streets in Kandi, Garhwa, on Thursday, demanding the revocation of their high school principal’s transfer.
The students alleged that the principal had been transferred barely two months after his posting. They made it clear that they wanted their principal back and would not accept any other compromise.
They continued to protest for three days, and, faced with their anger, the district administration eventually conceded to their demand and revoked the transfer.
Kandi Block Development Officer (BDO) Rakesh Sahay said high school teacher Malay Singh had been transferred, prompting the students to protest against the decision.
“Following their demand, the department reinstated Singh at Kandi High School, and he is expected to resume his duties there soon,” said the BDO.
The children were demanding Malay Singh back as their principal, which has been fulfilled, he said.
Earlier, despite the sweltering heat and high humidity, students reached the school early in the morning and blocked the road in protest. They remained firm in their demand, insisting that they wanted their teacher back and would accept nothing less.
The students, who had been agitating over the issue for three days, also staged a protest at the Deputy Commissioner’s office after arriving there in two buses.
However, the protest turned violent on Thursday when Block Pramukh Pinku Pandey reached the spot and requested the protesting students to calm down, leading to an altercation between Pandey and the students.
It was alleged that Pandey also slapped a student. Enraged, the students immediately began vandalising his vehicle.
Pandey somehow managed to escape and sought refuge at Kandi police station, but the students followed him there. They began pelting stones at the police station premises and demanded action against the accused. A police constable is also said to have sustained injuries during the incident.
To bring the situation under control, police escorted the Block Pramukh out of the police station premises.
Subsequently, the students’ anger spilled over into the Block office complex. A dispute arose after a staff member tried to film them, forcing the Block office to be closed for some time.
The protesting students alleged that local representatives had turned their school into a hub of politics.
“Whenever a capable principal or teacher comes to the school, these people drive them away by playing politics,” said Shani Kumar Mehta, a protesting student. He alleged that their principal, too, had fallen victim to caste-based discrimination.
Pandey, however, denied the charges and maintained that he did not hit any student. Instead, he claimed that associates of the local MLA attacked his vehicle.
Meanwhile, a group of students held talks with officials and police at Kandi police station. During the discussions, the BDO received a letter informing him that the transfer of teacher Malay Singh had been revoked.
That was enough to bring smiles back to the students’ faces, as the protesters erupted in celebration.
However, initially sceptical about the decision, the students sought confirmation, prompting the officer-in-charge to arrange a video call with teacher Malay Singh.
Speaking directly to their teacher, the students were finally reassured that the transfer had indeed been revoked.
