On the eve of the annual sports day of a school in Alipurduar district, a student of Class IX reached the school grounds with a “gun” that caused panic among students and teachers but eventually turned out to be a gas lighter.

Around 1pm, while preparations were on for the sports day, the student took out the “gun” and wielded it while roaming around on the school grounds.

The students and even some teachers, who thought it was a firearm, panicked. Some teachers asked the boy to stop moving around and hand over the “gun”. The boy, however, didn’t listen and started running on the ground.

The teachers, fearing the boy would “open fire”, and gave him chase. The boy ran ahead, scaled the boundary wall of the school and fled.

“Before running away, he threw the ‘gun’ in the bush near the main gate. We guarded the bush and some of our colleagues informed the police,” said a teacher.

Some anxious guardians also reached the school, students started panicking at the thought of a firearm in the bush. School authorities served the midday meal and suspended classes for the day. Around 1,500 students of the institution were asked to go home.

As the students left, a police team reached the spot. Police personnel checked the “gun” and said it was a gas lighter which looked like a 9mm pistol and was not a firearm.

During a probe, the police came to know that the boy bought the lighter through an online shopping website.

“We are relieved to know it was a gas lighter. Tomorrow, our annual sports will be held and this incident hampered our preparations. We will talk to the student and his parents. If required, the boy will be counselled so that he abstains from buying such items in future,” said the headmaster.

Names of the student and the school are withheld to protect the minor’s identity.

Squirrel skin, musk in SUV

Siliguri: Foresters of Kurseong forest division acted on a tip-off and recovered musk and a squirrel’s skin from the outskirts of Siliguri on Thursday evening.

A resident of Tadong in Sikkim, Dany Bhutia, has been arrested.

Bhupen Biswakarma, the additional divisional forest officer of Kurseong, said that Bagdogra forest range officer Sonam Bhutia intercepted an SUV on Asian Highway II near North Bengal University.

“Musk in two balls and a 90cm long skin of a giant squirrel were found inside,” said Biswakarma.

The musk deer (in which musk is found) and giant squirrel are Schedule I species under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

“These two are mostly used as luxury items for fragrance and interior decoration,” said a forester.

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