Balarampur: A lab attendant of a college in Bengal’s Puruliya district who complained last year to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) against caste-based harassment by his college principal says he has been threatened by the principal with dire consequences if he did not withdraw his complaint. The principal has denied the allegation. Meanwhile, the NCSC’s direction to district authorities lies ignored for more than a month. Biswanath Ruidas, who is the Balarampur College’s only permanent Group D employee has detailed in his complaint that for years, the college principal Ananya Ghose has subjected him to repeated caste-based humiliation and public degradation, leading to mental harassment. This was behaviour that Ruidas likened to a “medieval mindset” and something that did not have a place in a modern educational institution.“The Principal has treated me in a disgraceful manner for years. She hardly spoke to me without referring to my caste or humiliating me because of it,” Ruidas told The Wire at his residence in Chhotokad village on July 3.The National Commission for Scheduled Castes on May 25 wrote to the Purulia district administration seeking an inquiry into the allegations. The Wire has seen the letter. But no action has been taken so far, according to Ruidas. The NCSC’s directions.When The Wire visited the college, several teachers asked how a college principal in the 21st century could allegedly subject an employee to such caste-based abuse. They demanded a fair and impartial investigation and strict punishment if the allegations are found to be true.However, Ruidas told this reporter that his complaints before teachers had largely been ignored. “I have repeatedly raised my complaints before the teachers’ council, the governing body of this college, and the Purulia SDO, the Vice-Chancellor of Sidhu-Kanhu University, the Balarampur Police Station and several other authorities. Everyone has been silent,” he said. Professor Manik Majhi, secretary of the teachers’ council, told The Wire that Ruidas had informed him about the alleged harassment he faced. “I had forwarded his written complaint to the college’s governing body, as the teachers’ council is authorised to deliberate only on academic matters. However, despite the complaint being forwarded, the governing body did not take any action,” he alleged.Professor Pabitra Chakroborty, the Vice-Chancellor of Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University, said the university is aware of Ruidas’s complaint and that the matter is being looked into.Former Purulia Sub-Divisional Officer Utpal Kumar Ghose has since been transferred. The Wire could not independently confirm his present posting, and his contact details could not be obtained.The Wire has also emailed Sonali Dutta, Director of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, seeking a response. This report will be updated if a response is received.A patternAnanya Ghose. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.Balarampur is located around 30 kilometres from Purulia town. Balarampur College was established in 1985 by the Left Front government to expand access to higher education in the region. A co-educational institution, the college offers courses in Science, Arts and Commerce. A significant proportion of its students come from economically and socially marginalised communities.Ananya Ghose joined the college as an Assistant Professor of History in 1999. Biswanath Ruidas, meanwhile, was appointed as a permanent Group D employee and Laboratory Attendant in the Physics Department in 2000.Ghose was appointed teacher-in-charge in 2013 and was elevated to the post of principal in 2015.“It was after she became teacher-in-charge that her behaviour became increasingly authoritarian and abusive,” alleged a faculty member of the Bengali language, requesting anonymity.In 2013, Ghose sought to become a member of the college’s governing body. However, the other faculty members reportedly opposed her candidature, leading to a tense atmosphere on the campus. Ruidas and other members of the faculty said that with the backing of the then ruling TMC, Ghose brought in outsiders who physically assaulted a professor, Toton Ghose, and his wife Sarita Kumari, an assistant professor of Hindi.“I protested against the violent incident. That’s when the principal publicly humiliated me, using abusive language, targeting my caste identity and asking me to keep quiet. I was deeply humiliated,” Ruidas told The Wire.“From that day onwards, the caste-based insults never stopped, I was repeatedly humiliated over my caste identity and subjected to constant ridicule, even over smallest issues,” he alleged.Ruidas at the lab he manages. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.“Whenever I went near the principal’s office, Madam would target my caste identity and hurl abuses at me. ‘Why have you come here? I do not even want to see your shadow,’ she would say,” he claimed. According to Ruidas, the principal has also made a show of never accepting food or water from him.The principal’s casteism has made the workday untenable for Ruidas.“The attendance register is kept on the principal’s table. I make sure to reach the college early and sign the register book before she arrives, because I have no right to sign it in her presence,” said Ruidas.Last year, said Ruidas, the state Higher Education Department initiated an inquiry into alleged irregularities at the college. Sources said the investigation was primarily focused on allegations against the principal. Several faculty members had reportedly questioned how a fair inquiry could be conducted while the person under investigation continued to hold office.Ruidas alleged that on January 20, 2025, while college examinations were underway, the principal’s driver Amit Bauri, who is not an employee of the institution-was seen copying data from the college’s main computer into a pen drive. “I asked the driver, ‘Why are you accessing and taking out information from the college computer?’ The principal was in the adjoining room. She came out, shouted at me, and again humiliated me by referring to my caste,” Ruidas alleged. “I simply wanted to know why someone who is not a college employee was handling official data. He could not have done it without her permission. How was her driver even allowed to enter that room?” Ruidas asked.According to Ruidas, the principal then called the police. “When the police arrived, they reprimanded me instead. They told me to publicly fall at the principal’s feet and apologise. I had no choice but to do so,” he claimed. Joydeb Bayen, a commerce professor at the Balarampur College, said he witnessed the incident firsthand.“On that day, I was in the adjoining room. Hearing loud voices, I came out and saw the principal severely humiliating Biswanath Ruidas. We immediately protested against her behaviour,” he said to The Wire. According to Bayen, after the principal lodged a complaint against Ruidas at the Balarampur Police Station, a group of faculty members collectively visited the police station to present what they considered the true sequence of events. We stood by Biswanath and informed the police of what had actually happened,” Bayen said.Balarampur College. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.According to Biswanath Ruidas, he repeatedly informed the chairman of the college governing body, former state minister Shantiram Mahato, about the caste-based harassment he allegedly faced at the hands of the college principal. Ruidas alleged, “Whenever I raised the issue with Shantiram Mahato, he paid no attention. Instead, by remaining silent, he continued to endorse the principal’s actions.”A similar sentiment was echoed by several faculty members of the college. Requesting anonymity, they alleged that Ghose had fostered a culture of intimidation on the campus with the tacit backing of the then ruling TMC.Ruidas further said that on January 27, 2025, he reported the principal’s alleged conduct to the then Sub-Divisional Officer of Purulia, Utpal Kumar Ghose. Subsequently, he also submitted complaints to the Vice-Chancellor of Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University, the West Bengal Higher Education Department, and the Officer-in-Charge of the Balarampur Police Station. However, according to him, no action was taken on any of those complaints.“Finally, on December 13, 2025, I submitted a written complaint to the Director, National Commission for Scheduled Castes. I have been forced to work under extreme mental agony. I am due to retire on March 31, 2027, and I simply want to spend the remaining period of my service with dignity,” Ruidas said to this reporter.Biswanath Ruidas with the complaint he sent to the NCSC. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.Following the complaint, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes on May 25, directed the District Magistrate (DM) and the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Purulia to investigate the allegations, take appropriate action within seven days, and submit a report to the commission.Referring to the Developments after the commission’s intervention, Ruidas alleged that on June 1, Principal Ghose arrived at his home with two vehicles of several people and urged him to withdraw the complaint. “She even offered me money. I told her clearly that I had filed the complaint only after informing the college teachers and asked her to speak with them. She refused, saying she would not speak to any faculty member. Before leaving, the principal madam threatened me, saying, ‘I will see how you receive your retirement benefits smoothly’,” Ruidas claimed.Despite the Commission’s directive requiring action within seven days, the stipulated period has elapsed.When contacted by The Wire, Purulia’s SP Srikumar Sunny Raj said he was not fully aware of the matter. “I will look into the case and inform you about the action being taken,” he said.Principal Ghose has denied all allegations levelled against her by Biswanath Ruidas. “ I joined the college before Biswanath Ruidas, I have never behaved badly with him,” she said to The Wire.When asked why an employee of her college had approached multiple authorities with allegations of caste-based atrocities against her, Ghose responded that she could not explain his reasons. “I do not know whether someone is influencing him. I am completely innocent,” she added.