‘Won’t happen in Bengal’: Suvendu Adhikari says FIR ordered against teacher for ‘removing tilak’ from student’s forehead

Asserting that “these things will not happen in West Bengal”, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Friday that police have been directed to file an FIR against a teacher who has been suspended by a missionary school in South Kolkata for allegedly removing chandan (sandalwood) tilak from the forehead of a student.

Addressing a press conference in Kolkata, the CM said, “A teacher of a missionary school regularly harassed the student for putting chandan tilak on forehead. The student was humiliated everyday for this and was told to remove the tilak and wash face.” The matter came to light after the student shared the issue on social media, it is learnt.

An education department official said the allegation came to the CM's notice, following which the administration looked into the matter and initiated action against the teacher. Adhikari added that a woman employee posted at Bikash Bhavan (Education Department headquarters) was also suspended for sharing “objectionable” content against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media.

“A government employee posted at Bikash Bhavan wrote something bad on social media against the Prime Minister. These things will not happen in Bengal. No government employee can do this. She has been suspended,” he said.

The employee in question had written about PM Modi's foreign trips. After the BJP came to power in West Bengal, Adhikari has asked the state government employees to “abide by service rules”. Earlier, Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal had also issued a directive enforcing a “complete prohibition on unauthorised communication”.

The directive forbade employees from publicly criticising the policies or actions of the governments at the state and the Centre. Ravik Bhattacharya is a highly experienced and award-winning journalist currently serving as the Chief of Bureau of The Indian Express, Kolkata.

With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, Ravik possesses deep expertise across a wide range of critical subjects and geographical areas. Experience & Authority Current Role: Chief of Bureau, The Indian Express, Kolkata.

Expertise: Extensive reporting across West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, and the Andaman Nicobar Islands. Ravik specializes in politics, crime, major incidents and issues, and investigative stories, demonstrating a robust command of complex and sensitive subjects.

Experience: His long and distinguished career includes key reporting roles at several prestigious publications, including The Asian Age, The Statesman, The Telegraph, and The Hindustan Times. Ravik's current role marks his second stint with The Indian Express, having previously served as a Principal Correspondent in the Kolkata bureau from 2005 to 2010.

Major Award: Ravik's authority and quality of work are substantiated by his winning of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award in 2007 for Political Reporting. Education: His strong academic foundation includes a Bachelor's degree with English Honours from Scottish Church College under Calcutta University, and a PG Diploma in Mass Communication from Jadavpur University.

Ravik Bhattacharya's extensive tenure, specialized beat coverage, and notable award confirm his status as a trusted and authoritative voice in Indian journalism, particularly for stories emanating from Eastern India.

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