Parents protest over alleged molestation at Kolkata school

Parents are angry and protesting outside a girls' school in Hatibagan, Kolkata. They allege that some masons working on the school building have been molesting young female students. Reports of this behavior began earlier in the week. Parents claim that the masons peeked into girls' bathrooms and tried to lure them with chocolates. One parent shared a concerning incident where a mason followed her daughter to a washroom and attempted to make her come outside. The girl refused and quickly informed a teacher. After this, other parents learned that similar harassment had occurred with other students. Parents confronted the headmistress on Thursday morning, demanding action against the masons. However, they felt that their complaints were ignored. The headmistress suggested that dissatisfied parents could withdraw their children from the school, which led to further frustration. As tensions rose, many parents gathered outside the school to demand the resignation of the headmistress. This situation escalated into minor scuffles between groups of parents. Traffic was disrupted until police arrived. They escorted both the headmistress and the protesting parents to a local police station, where formal complaints were filed. Police have initiated an investigation but have not made any arrests as of late Thursday. They are reviewing CCTV footage and interviewing witnesses, teachers, and students to gather more information on the alleged incidents.