Bankura school principal among 8 held for child trafficking bid

Bankura: Eight persons — including the principal of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Bankura’s Kalapathar, a teacher of the school and her husband — have been arrested for an alleged trafficking attempt on the campus.
Principal Kamalkumar Rajoria and the others have been charged under the Juvenile Justice Act. While Rajoria and two others have been remanded in police custody for five days, the others have been sent to judicial custody for 14 days.
According to sources, the panchayat pradhan caught them red-handed on Sunday afternoon.He became suspicious when he found two children crying inside a car, in which they were seated along with two women. The pradhan asked the women where they were taking the children. As they fumbled for answers, the pradhan decided to inform police while some local residents gheraoed the car.
Rajoria tried to flee the spot, but was arrested in the nick of time along with the women in the car, a teacher and her husband. Following their interrogation, three others were rounded up from Durgapur. All were produced in court on Monday.
Bengal’s women and child welfare minister Dr Sashi Panja claimed key accused Rajoria was close to Union minister of state for education Dr Subhas Sarkar, who is also a BJP MP from Bankura. She also posted a picture of the principal with Dr Sarkar on social media.
The Union minister denied the allegations. “I had met him (Rajoria) at a programme. The case should be properly investigated. If he has committed a crime, the law will take its own course,” he told TOI.