KOLKATA: In a spine-chilling incident, a man in his 40s stormed into a high school in Malda on Wednesday morning brandishing a pistol and entered a classroom with the intention of taking students hostage, which Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee described as a conspiracy hatched in Delhi.
The man, identified as Dev Ballav, also placed a petrol bomb and a container full of acid on the table of the classroom. On being alerted, police personnel surrounded the school and a deputy superintendent of police pounced on Ballav and pinned him down. A search revealed another pistol tucked in the man’s waist.
Preliminary investigation revealed the man’s wife is a BJP member of a Trinamool Congress dominated panchayat. Police are probing whether the man’s wife had any dispute with the ruling party or the couple had any conjugal issue which might have led to the incident.
The incident took place around 11.30 am when classes were going on as usual in Muchia Chandramohan High School in Old Malda area. “Ballav, with a bag on his shoulder, entered the school unnoticed. He went straight to a classroom on the ground-floor and brandished a firearm. He threatened the teacher to stop teaching. Ballav then placed the petrol-bomb and the acid container on the table,” said a police officer.
Ballav took out a piece of paper and started reading out how his complaints to higher authorities in the administration fell on deaf ears.
On hearing the incident, police swung into action quickly. Personnel from the local police station rushed to the spot.
“I carefully went close to the door of the classroom. I saw the frightened pale faces of the students. I got married recently and I do not have a child. I could not resist myself and pounced on the man and forced him to lie on the floor. Soon, other policemen came to help me,” said DSP Mohammad Azharuddin.
Ballav was arrested and booked under the Arms Act.
Reacting to the incident, the West Bengal CM said, “Conspiracies are being hatched from Delhi. I don’t know who are behind it. I urge people to be very careful about it.”
The police said Ballav, during the course of interrogation, said his wife had left him with her son and he complained to different layers of the state administration. “We are yet to ascertain whether Ballav’s grievance is the reason behind his act,” said a police officer.