The students of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya at Titabor in Jorhat district stood by their teacher whose job has been terminated by the school authorities after she expressed solidarity with the students during their anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protest.

Bondita Borah, the computer teacher-cum-systems administrator, received the termination letter on December 24 from school principal Mukesh Kumar.

Although the letter did not mention anything about her participation in the anti-CAA rally, the teacher’s solidarity with the protest on the school campus on December 11 did not go down well with the school authorities. Borah said she received a letter, signed by a group of students, stating that other teachers had threatened them with poor marks in practical exams if they continued to support her.

The Titabor regional committee of the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) had urged the school authorities to reinstate the teacher within two days.

The party said it would be unjust to terminate one’s job abruptly. “As the two-day deadline ended today, we came to know that the school principal has asked the teacher to meet him on December 30. We are hopeful of getting good news,” said Rajib Sarmah, general secretary of the AJYCP’s Titabor regional committee.

Sources said the principal had left for Shillong.

The chemistry teacher of the school who had allegedly called the Assamese people illiterate for protesting against the CAA has also gone on leave and left for his hometown in Haryana on Thursday.

The remark of the chemistry teacher had allegedly enraged the students. Borah had said the teacher should apologise for his comment. He subsequently did apologise.