The management of a Chinese language school in Kolkata’s Chinatown has approached the Calcutta High Court seeking the eviction of CISF personnel who have been occupying their premises for over a year, disrupting academic activities.
The petition, filed by the authorities of the Pei Mei Chinese School in Tangra, seeks a direction to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to vacate the premises to enable the resumption of classes. Monica Liu, whose family has been running the private school for decades, said that the space was initially provided to the CISF in September 2024 for a temporary period of two months.
“It has been more than one and a half years, but the school continues to be occupied by the CISF jawans,” Liu told PTI, adding that despite multiple efforts to communicate with the authorities, no response was received.
With the Chinese New Year around the corner, the school found no other recourse but to approach the High Court. A hearing on the petition is expected to take place shortly.
The school, established in the 1940s, is one of the few institutions in Kolkata offering Chinese language education from Classes 1 to 10. It currently has around 20 to 30 students and two teachers. Liu’s husband, KC Liu, serves as the principal and chairman of the institution.
The CISF personnel were stationed at the school premises following a Supreme Court order that mandated enhanced security at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, after the horrific rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor on duty inside the hospital in 2024. The central force was deployed to ensure the safety and security of the hospital premises.
While the urgency of the situation warranted temporary arrangements, the extended stay of the jawans has now turned into a major disruption for the Chinese school community in Tangra — a historic neighbourhood often referred to as Kolkata’s Chinatown.
Liu, a prominent member of the local Chinese-Indian community, said the continued occupation had effectively suspended classroom teaching. “We hope the court will help us reclaim our school so that our students can return to learning,” she said.
