A venomous cobra entered a classroom at Boragari BFP 1 Primary School in Dhupguri block of West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district during school hours on Thursday, prompting teachers to move students to another room and bringing lessons to a halt for more than two hours.
According to a report by Sangbad Pratidin, the snake was first noticed while classes were under way. Students panicked and tried to leave the classroom after seeing the cobra raise its hood near the front of the room. Teachers quickly moved them to an adjacent classroom to keep them away from the snake.
The cobra then coiled itself in a corner of the classroom. Concerned about the children’s safety, teachers locked the room and kept watch from outside while seeking help to remove the snake. The incident created anxiety among students, teachers and parents at the school.
Members of the Dooars Nature and Snake Lovers Organisation were contacted to handle the rescue. Environmental activist Bhajan Saha reached the school after receiving the alert. Local residents told the publication that the snake moved between the third- and fourth-grade classrooms for more than two hours, effectively disrupting teaching at the school.
The rescued snake was reported to be a cobra measuring about four and a half feet in length. After it was taken to a safe location, it was released into a forested area, according to the report. No student or teacher injury was reported in the supplied account.
The incident has renewed concern among parents about safety in school buildings, particularly after a recent report of a student dying from a snakebite inside a school in southern West Bengal. The latest episode in North Bengal ended without a reported injury, but the presence of a venomous snake inside occupied classrooms exposed the immediate risks faced by children and staff when schools are located close to areas where wildlife can enter.
The supplied report does not state how the cobra entered the building or whether the school carried out any inspection of classrooms and surrounding areas after the rescue. It also does not mention any formal response from the education department or local administration. The school’s next steps, including any preventive measures, remain unclear from the available information.
