Fee for free bicycle: Students protest arrest of Head Master in North Lakhimpur

North Lakhimpur, Dec 14: Students of Juba Nagar High School in Lakhimpur's Laluk protested the arrest of its Head Master for allegedly collecting transportation money from students for distribution of free bicycles.

Chakreswar Borah, the Head Master was alleged to have taken Rs. 80 from each student for free bicycles distributed to Class IX students. As reported, Borah collected the amount as transportation costs from Bihpuria Education Block in Bihpuria, 15 kms away. Following the report, the Head Master was arrested from the school on Tuesday resulting in a protest by students.

The students of Juba Nagar High School confronted the police personnel from Laluk Police Station resisting the arrest of their teacher. According to a member of the students' union of the school, the money was collected by the students themselves to transport the bicycles from Bihpuria to Juba Nagar High School.

She also said that the Head Master was unaware of the collection of money by the students' union for bicycle transportation. The student union member also said that the Head Master had asked them to refund the amount to the concerned students and it was done.

As the Head Master was detained in Laluk Police Station, students of the Juba Nagar High School protested outside its gate for several hours. The protesting students were calmed down by Anand Mishra, SP-Lakhimpur who rushed to the Laluk Police Station as protests swelled.

Relating to the incident, a scribe from a news portal was beaten up by a group of people outside the Juba Nagar High School where the students were protesting.

It may be mentioned that the state government is distributing free bicycles to 3,69, 454 students of Class IX in government schools involving a financial outlay of Rs. 161 crores.