A school headmaster’s alleged suicide has sent shockwaves through West Bengal, triggering outrage from opposition parties and a police crackdown on those accused of coercion.

According to the victim’s wife, Poly Ray, her husband was pressured to accept corrupt practices at the school. “The TMC leader and his associates were trying to introduce corruption. My husband opposed it. They threatened him, saying he would be framed for corruption in the mid-day meal scheme and demanded ₹35 lakh. Unable to bear the humiliation, he took his own life,” she said.

Md Haque, a TMC leader and former student of the school, denied the allegations. “I never threatened the headmaster. He was my teacher. These are all false accusations,” Haque said before being taken into police custody on Friday.

Ray’s death on Wednesday prompted the arrest of Haque and three others. They face charges including abetment of suicide and criminal intimidation.

A senior officer from the Murshidabad police confirmed, “Prima facie, we found the allegations against Haque to be true. We have arrested him and are verifying whether others were involved.”

The incident has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties, who have labeled the death an “institutional murder.”

“The teacher could not tolerate the humiliation. It’s an institutional murder. What has Mamata Banerjee made this state? Honest teachers are dying while thieves roam freely. We will stand with the family and provide all possible legal support,” said CPI(M) state secretary Md Selim, who visited the family in Murshidabad.