All attempts of the Visvabharati authorities to persuade the parent of a Class 5 student of Patha Bhavan to send her back to school proved an exercise in futility as the traumatised girl joined another school on Wednesday. The girl who was forced to drink her own urine as a punishment for bed-wetting by the warden of the girls’ hostel was admitted to the same class by Bolpur Balika Vidyalay without the transfer certificate (TC) from her old school.
The girl’s father, Manoj Mistry on Wednesday informed that his daughter had got admission in Bolpur Balika Vidyalay. “My daughter repeatedly said that she would not feel comfortable to study in Patha Bhavan School anymore after that incident, even though the school authorities had assured to treat her with special care,” he added. He further informed that the admission process in the new school had initially got hampered as the they did not have the TC. However, with the intervention of sub-divisional officer Prabal Kanti Maity, the girl was granted admission at the Bolpur Balika Vidyalay without it. Varsity sources said that the girl’s parents are yet to officially apply for the TC from them.
It maybe recalled that on July 11, the Visvabharati and Patha Bhavan school authorities had gone to the girl’s residence. Visvabharati University registrar Manimukut Mitra, principal Bodhirupa Sinha and an assistant teacher of the school had met the girl and her parents at their house at Makrampur on the outskirts of Bolpur town. They had spent around 30 minutes there trying to convince her parents to allow their daughter to resume classes. However, the parents remained adamant to change her school.
On July 12, the authorities had apologised to the Class 5 student’s parents for the incident and had allowed the girl to attend school as a day-boarder.
The registrar on July 13 in a press statement even said that the authorities had decided to overhaul the entire warden-matron system.