A dispute over the future of Deshbandhu School in central Howrah has escalated after former students protested against an alleged plan to stop classes and redevelop the premises, while the promoter involved said he would build a new school building free of cost.
The school operates from 184 Netaji Subhas Road on rented land and in a rented building. Former students gathered outside the school, putting up posters and banners after allegations emerged that the institution could be shut to make way for new construction. The school’s status and the future use of the property are now being examined by the district school education authorities.
The building has a long institutional history. The property was earlier associated with a person identified in the report as Corton Sahib and was used as a temporary hospital during the plague outbreak. It later housed a boarding school before Deshbandhu School was established there in 1954. The institution is government-aided, although the land and building do not belong to the school.
The promoter, Subir Dutta, denied the allegations that he was seeking to end the school’s operations for commercial construction. He said the school had been functioning from rented premises and claimed that he bought the land and building from the owner about a year ago. According to Dutta, he is now the owner of the property.
Dutta also said that several parts of the school building were dangerous and could collapse at any time. He claimed that the municipality had issued a notice concerning the condition of the structure. He said he had offered to construct a new school building without charging the school and that the district school education department had granted him conditional permission for the work.
The promoter and the school’s teacher-in-charge have made conflicting allegations. Dutta alleged that teacher-in-charge Arup Das demanded Rs 20 lakh from him and obstructed the work after he refused to pay. Das rejected that claim and alleged instead that the promoter had threatened him. The report does not establish either allegation independently.
The dispute came under official attention when the district school inspector visited the school on Thursday and held a meeting with the school authorities. The district school education department has been informed of the competing claims, and officials said the matter was being examined. The next steps will determine how the school’s operations, the safety of the existing structure, the ownership dispute and any proposed construction are handled.
