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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Maoist belt teachers seek shift by Naresh Jana

Maoist belt teachers seek shift by Naresh Jana

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published Published on Jul 29, 2011   modified Modified on Jul 29, 2011

Several primary school teachers in West Midnapore’s Jungle Mahal area have sought transfer in the face of Maoist “threats and extortion”.

Since Mamata Banerjee’s government assumed charge on May 20, anti-Maoist operations in Jungle Mahal have stopped, allowing the rebels the opportunity to regroup and “start atrocities against teachers again”.

In the past 15 days, at least 26 teachers have submitted applications to the district chairman of the primary education board seeking transfer out of the Maoist-affected zone. A spokesperson of the All Bengal Primary Teachers’ Association (ABPTA) said more teachers were planning to apply for transfer.

The names of the headmasters and teachers that The Telegraph spoke to have been changed for their safety.

Gurupada Barman, the headmaster of a primary school 8km from Jhargram town, said Maoists had extorted huge sums of money from him through activists of the People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities. “In the past two and a half years, the Maoists have extorted money from me twice. Recently, PCPA activists again demanded Rs 50,000,” Barman, 50, said.

“I have appealed to the district chairman of the primary education board to transfer me to a school in Jhargram town, where Maoists don’t have a presence,” he added.

Nagen Soren, who teaches in a school 10km from Jhargram, has not been going to work for the past two months fearing Maoist attacks. “Two months ago, a group of Maoists entered my school and threatened to kill the teachers if they did not pay money every month,” Soren, 34, said.

The teacher of a school near Salboni, Prabin Mahato, said: “Between January 2009 and August 2010, the Maoists had forced me to pay Rs 3,000 each month to them. Two henchmen of Maoist leader Bikash used to come to my school and collect the money from me and my two colleagues.”

Police sources said that during this period, the Maoists had murdered 22 primary school teachers either for having links with the CPM or for refusing to pay up.

But the instances of extortion decreased when the joint forces intensified their anti-Maoist operations in end-2010. Rebel coercion had stopped completely after the arrival of central forces in the run-up to the Assembly elections.

Intelligence reports said that with the withdrawal of the central forces who had been deployed on poll duty and the freeze on anti-Maoist operations, the rebels were re-entering Jungle Mahal. “The Maoists require funds to regroup. Schoolteachers are soft targets as they have an assured monthly source of income,” an intelligence officer said.

“The teachers have to take jungle paths to reach their schools. This is another reason why the Maoists have targeted them,” he added.

ABPTA secretary Biswanath Mandal said there were about 1,200 primary schools in the Jungle Mahal area of West Midnapore. “As it is, the schools are understaffed. There are around 1,800 teachers although there are 2,500 posts. Around 400 teachers have complained of Maoist atrocities and have either sought transfer or are planning to do so,” he said. “The teachers are under tremendous mental pressure. Studies are getting affected.”

District primary education board chairman Swapan Murmu said it was not possible to transfer so many teachers together. “Where will we accommodate them? And how will we fill up the vacancies once the teachers are transferred?” he asked.

West Midnapore DM Surendra Gupta said the transfer appeals would not be accepted. “No one else will want to go (to Jungle Mahal). We are seeing how the situation (of the teachers in the rebel zone) can be improved,” he said.

The Telegraph, 29 July, 2011, http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110729/jsp/bengal/story_14304676.jsp


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