Kolkata Teacher Suspended After Student Forced to Remove Religious Mark

In a case that has stirred strong emotions across Kolkata, a school teacher has been suspended and now faces legal action after allegedly forcing a young student to wipe off a traditional sandalwood tilak from his forehead. The incident, which unfolded at Holy Mission English Medium School, prompted swift response from both school authorities and the state government.

Official Response

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari didn't mince words when addressing the controversy. "This will not be allowed in Bengal," he declared at a recent public event, his tone firm. He emphasized that wearing tilak or tulsi beads represents cherished tradition—something that should never be discouraged.

“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. This will not be allowed in Bengal.”

You can hear the frustration in his voice—the sense that something fundamental had been violated. The school itself moved quickly, establishing an internal inquiry committee to investigate what exactly transpired in that classroom.

Broader Context

This incident arrives amid heightened sensitivity around religious expression in educational settings. Meanwhile, in a separate but related development, another education department employee faced suspension for making what officials called "objectionable" comments about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign trips on social media.

Adhikari's response was equally unequivocal: "What she wrote about the PM is not acceptable. Nobody can write such a thing about a PM." The BJP government had previously issued directives prohibiting state employees from publicly criticizing government policies—a rule that now appears to be strictly enforced.