Kolkata, Feb 21 (IANS): The headmaster of a state-run primary school in West Benngal's Purulia district was on Tuesday arrested on charges of embezzling the school funds, police said.

Pranab Kumar Mondal is accused of withdrawing the funds received for the construction of the school building and using them for personal purposes.

The total money misappropriated is around Rs 20 lakh. In his interrogation, the accused confessed to his crime, telling police that recently his daughter became sick and so he withdrew the fund to meet the expenses of her treatment.

The CPI-M's Purulia district leader has alleged that the accused headmaster is an active member of the teachers' cell of the ruling Trinamool Congress. "We had been complaining about the defalcation of the funds allotted for school building for quite some time. We are happy that finally he has been arrested," CPI-M leader, Pradeep Chakroborty said.

The BJP's district President Bibek Ranga said that the state's ruling party has given corruption a shape of art. "Although the police have arrested him, we doubt how far they will continue with the investigation process considering that the accused is an important leader of the teachers' cell of the ruling party," he said.

However, Trinamool Congress leadership had denied the party's active connection with the accused headmaster. "He had been arrested. Now the police will do their duty and the law will take its own course," a local Trinamool leader said.