A meeting regarding Saraswati Puja and the annual sports competition was underway when a senior teacher at Oliganj Rishi Rajnarayan Girls’ School in Midnapore town suddenly fell seriously ill following a heated argument with the headmistress. The incident occurred on Friday afternoon and has caused considerable unrest in the district town.
According to family members, the teacher, Jamuna Ghosh Palodhi, suffered a brain stroke. She is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Midnapore town. Jamuna Ghosh Palodhi has been battling cancer for the past three to four years and is undergoing chemotherapy.
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Allegations of verbal altercation and insult during meeting
It has been learned that a food festival was organised at the school on Thursday, following which a holiday was declared for students on Friday. However, teachers and staff members were present for preparations related to Saraswati Puja and the annual sports competition. A meeting began around 1 pm, during which headmistress Sujata Goswami allegedly made derogatory remarks towards Jamuna Ghosh Palodhi.
While protesting against the remarks, Jamuna Palodhi reportedly became agitated and lost consciousness during the meeting. She was rescued in a critical condition and taken to a private hospital, where a CT scan confirmed that she had suffered a brain stroke. School sources said that the headmistress also fell ill following the incident and was admitted to another private hospital in the town. The situation led to chaos on the school premises on Friday afternoon.
Jamuna Palodhi’s husband, Shishir Palodhi, said in the evening, “My wife is 59 years old and is due to retire next year. She has been suffering from cancer since 2022 and is undergoing chemotherapy. Despite her condition, she has continued to fulfil her duties. During the meeting, the headmistress made various derogatory remarks towards her. Unable to bear the humiliation, she suffered a brain stroke.”
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He added that the lower part of her body from the waist down has become numb and that doctors are keeping her under observation. “If necessary, I will take her to Kolkata on Saturday,” he said. Shishir Palodhi also stated that he intends to file a police complaint against the headmistress once his wife’s condition stabilises.
Repeated attempts to contact the headmistress for a response were unsuccessful.
Jamuna Palodhi’s husband further alleged, “She is a talented and popular physics teacher who has served this school for 30 years. Since Sujata Goswami became headmistress two to three years ago, she has often mentally harassed my wife. What else can this be called if not a culture of intimidation?”
School governing body president Madanmohan Maiti said, “I have heard there was a verbal altercation. Two teachers, including the headmistress, have fallen ill. We are looking into what led to this situation.”
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A teacher of the school, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Jamuna Palodhi had to take several leaves over the past two years due to illness, which may have caused resentment. “Despite her health issues, she completed her syllabus responsibly. There were also disagreements regarding Friday’s holiday. The verbal altercation escalated and created tension,” the teacher said.
Rita Bera, representing the school’s alumni, said, “Jamuna Didimoni is a highly respected and popular teacher. We are deeply concerned about her health. Such incidents are undesirable in this historic and prestigious institution.”
Midnapore Municipality Chairman Soumen Khan described the incident as “extremely unfortunate” and said, “Such incidents are unacceptable in a traditional school named after Rishi Rajnarayan Basu. We will stand by the ailing teacher’s family in every possible way.”
