Scenes of celebration unfolded in Jharkhali area of West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district after Aranyaj School, a free English-medium institution occupied by local TMC leaders for nearly two years, was finally reopened by villagers and NGO workers.
The reopening of the school in Parbatipur village has become symbolic for many locals, who claim the institution was forcibly taken over in 2024 amid violence, intimidation, looting, and political protection enjoyed by the accused during the previous regime.
Videos circulating on social media showed villagers, women, and children unlocking the gates of Aranyaj School on May 6, triggering emotional scenes across the locality.
The school, started in 2023 by social worker Amrita Bose Gupta under the Aranyaj Group, was established to provide free English-medium education to underprivileged children and livelihood opportunities for rural women.
Speaking to OpIndia during a ground report, Abhijit Mukherjee from the Aranyaj Group said the school had become a centre for education and women’s empowerment before it was allegedly seized by local TMC leaders in July 2024.
Locals described the reopening not merely as the recovery of a building, but as the restoration of education and dignity in the region.
According to the FIR filed by Amrita Bose Gupta, the alleged attack took place on the morning of July 8, 2024, at around 7:30 am, when a large group of individuals allegedly led by local TMC-linked figures stormed the school premises in Parbatipur village under the Jharkhali Coastal Police Station area.
Amrita alleged that the attackers first disconnected electricity and cut CCTV wires before forcibly entering the premises.
In her complaint, she alleged that she and her colleagues were dragged from their rooms, verbally abused, and physically assaulted. She further claimed that women accompanying the mob assaulted her and another woman, Upasana, and tore their clothes.
The FIR also alleged that official documents relating to government land allotment were destroyed during the attack.
One of the most disturbing allegations in the complaint involved Amrita’s eight-year-old son, who was allegedly thrown to the ground and beaten during the attack.
Her 65-year-old mother was also allegedly assaulted while trying to protect the child. According to the complaint, she was dragged and beaten until she lost consciousness.
Amrita further alleged that she herself was pushed down a staircase and left unconscious.
The allegations triggered outrage among locals and social activists, many of whom accused the administration at the time of failing to take meaningful action despite the seriousness of the complaint.
The complaint further alleged that the attackers looted large quantities of school property, educational equipment, and materials belonging to the NGO.
Among the items allegedly stolen were around 1,500 library books, an LCD projector, public announcement systems, CPUs, a laptop, solar panels, fans, LED lights, furniture, bedding, and hostel supplies.
The NGO also operated a sanitary napkin production unit aimed at women’s self-reliance. According to the complaint, machinery including pulveriser machines, UV sterilisation units, sealing machines, and raw materials were allegedly looted during the attack.
School uniforms, sarees, food supplies, cash, and kitchen equipment were also allegedly stolen.
The charge sheet filed in the case reportedly named several accused individuals, including Dilip Mondal, identified in the report as Jharkhali’s deputy headman and the alleged mastermind behind the attack.
Other accused named in the chargesheet included Parimal Mondal, Dhananjoy Mondal, Saroj Chandra Biswas, Apurva Roy, Vishwajeet Bari, Kishore Gayen, and Samir Mandal.
The accused were booked under several IPC sections related to assault, intimidation, and grievous hurt. However, locals alleged that despite the FIR and charge sheet, no significant action was taken for nearly two years because of political protection enjoyed by the accused.
Amrita Bose Gupta alleged that TMC-linked local strongmen had continued threatening members associated with the school during the recent Assembly election period.
She claimed that Raja Gazi, allegedly linked to local TMC networks, provided protection to the accused individuals involved in the occupation and intimidation.
According to Amrita, volunteers and school workers received repeated death threats over the past month. Despite this, she said they actively campaigned for the BJP during the elections and gained courage to reclaim the school after the political change in the state.
Although the TMC candidate retained the SC-reserved seat in the Sundarbans region where the school is located, the broader change of power in West Bengal encouraged villagers and volunteers to reopen the institution.
The reopening of Aranyaj School has brought emotional scenes to Parbatipur village, where children returned to classrooms after nearly two years.
Videos from the campus showed villagers cleaning the premises, hoisting the tricolour, and preparing classrooms once again for students.
For many families, the school represented more than education. It served as a rare source of free English-medium learning and social upliftment in a remote rural region of South 24 Parganas.
Amrita Bose Gupta said the immediate focus is now on rebuilding the institution, restoring infrastructure, and bringing children back to regular studies.
“This school will run with the cooperation of the people. We only need law, order, and justice,” she reportedly said.
