Pranabanda Vidya Mandir’s Wild Farewell: Students Break Bulb, Fan and Boards

On Friday, the farewell celebration for Class 10 students at Pranabananda Vidyamandir, Tarapur, turned into a frenzy. What began as a festive occasion spiralled into chaos as students engaged in uncontrolled disorder, raising serious questions about school safety and discipline. While the school principal mentioned the farewell to have been conducted with Vedic chants but later the students rushed to “spur of the moment” damage influenced by meme culture. From breaking bulbs to bending fan blades, the whole drama was “vlogged” by some of the students.

The incident unfolded after the farewell event on January 17, with students rampaging through the school premises. They reportedly smashed blackboards, bulbs, and benches, attempted to break ceiling fans, and even damaged fire extinguishers. Several classrooms were stormed, and the acts of destruction went unnoticed by teachers for a considerable time.

Following the rampage, school authorities intervened, and the next day, parents were summoned for a discussion. The school administration reportedly imposed a fine of Rs. 20,000 on students directly involved in the incident, while those from the same class who were not present during the act were asked to pay Rs. 3,000 each. This decision has left parents questioning its fairness and has sparked outrage.

Parents raised concerns about the school’s inability to prevent such a prolonged act of indiscipline. They demanded answers as to why no teacher noticed the chaos earlier and questioned the rationale behind fining uninvolved students. Speaking anonymously, one parent remarked, “If such incidents happen within the school premises, how can we trust the safety of our children?”

Barak Bulletin contacted the school’s principal, Pratima Chakrabarty, who provided further details about the incident. She stated that the farewell function was conducted in the “traditional manner”, including “Vedic chants” and pledges for the students to uphold values and be good individuals. Following the ceremony, as per school tradition, students returned to their classrooms to leave remarks and write parting words.

However, this year, the situation took an unexpected and wild turn. She explained that the incident happened on the “spur of the moment” and emphasised that with final exams approaching, the school tried not to stress the students excessively.

After the incident, they engaged with parents, asking them to contribute whatever they could to cover the damages. She noted that it was the parents who requested the school to set an amount, leading to the Rs. 20,000 and Rs. 3,000 amounts being suggested. However, she clarified that parents were still welcome to pay whatever they could manage.

The principal expressed concern that the incident might attract unwanted attention, potentially stressing the students further ahead of their exams, which she hoped to avoid. She added that the teachers intervened promptly as soon as they became aware of the incidents, bringing it to a halt.

She also stated that while some students were not directly involved in the act, they failed to report it to teachers immediately. This lack of action indirectly contributed to the escalation of the incident, leaving them partially accountable for the outcome.

Visuals of the incident reveal students actively damaging school property while others stood by, recording the destruction and enjoying the moment. Such behaviour from any quarter highlights a worrying lapse in the values upheld within educational institutions.

The incident raises deep concerns about the moral compass of today’s students in a society where schools are regarded as temples of education. The wild behaviour displayed not only shocks the conscience but also questions whether such acts can ever be justified.