Kolkata, 16 May (H.S.): A college principal in West Bengal has written a detailed letter to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari alleging physical assault, political pressure and administrative harassment linked to his biodiversity conservation work in Nadia district.

Dr Subhasis Panda, then principal of the Government General Degree College in Chapra and an officer of the West Bengal Senior Education Service, on Saturday claimed that he was brutally attacked on July 2, 2025, while monitoring a biodiversity conservation site near the BSF checkpost at Rajipur in Nadia district.

According to the letter, local resident Ajay Ghosh allegedly confronted Panda over a biodiversity conservation signboard installed in the area and soon turned violent. Panda alleged that he was slapped, punched and nearly killed during the assault. He claimed that his life was saved only after intervention by college security guard Monirul Hasan.

The injured principal was first admitted to Chapra Block Hospital and later shifted to Manipal Broadway Hospital in Kolkata, where he underwent treatment for multiple injuries caused by the alleged assault.

Panda said he lodged an FIR at Chapra police station, but alleged that police initially hesitated to register the complaint due to political pressure from former MLA Rukbanur Rahman. He further alleged that the accused, said to be linked to a local Trinamool Congress leader, secured bail within a day because of political influence.

In his letter, Panda also accused senior officials of the Higher Education Department of pressuring him to withdraw the FIR. He claimed he was later transferred to Singur Government College in what he described as a “punitive transfer” for refusing to back down.

Dr Panda is known for his work in biodiversity conservation and had launched a “Local Biodiversity Hotspots Conservation Project” at Chapra College in 2021 with technical support from the West Bengal Biodiversity Board. The conservation zones reportedly contain more than 50 species of medicinal plants, rare snakes, butterflies, fruit bats and pollinating insects.

He was also honoured with a national award in 2007 for discovering a new plant species. Environmental experts have described the biodiversity zones as ecologically significant.

The incident was prominently highlighted by Hindusthan Samachar and several regional newspapers had also reported the matter extensively. Environmental activists had staged protests in Kolkata demanding justice for the principal.

In his appeal to the chief minister, Panda urged the government to ensure strict action against the accused, provide him security and protect the biodiversity conservation zones from destruction.

“Even if they kill me, please save these biodiversity hotspots for future generations,” he wrote in the letter.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey