Inspectors of schools in various districts have asked school authorities to ensure that students don’t take part in any programme outside the institutions during study time in an apparent bid to rein in the rallies protesting the rape and murder of the junior doctor.

Sources in the state administration said no specific order was sent to the district inspectors of school but the district authorities were asked to look into the matter as some guardians of the students lodged complaints that their children were taken to protest rallies without their consent.

“No order in this regard was issued centrally. The inspectors of schools in some districts were sending orders based on the instructions they received from the district authorities. The orders were issued to ensure that students don’t take part in any activity outside school premises during school hours,” said a senior government official.

The first such order that came to light was from West Midnapore where all the schools in the district were asked to take necessary action to ensure that students don’t get involved in any kind of programme outside the school premises except one organized by the school education department.

Similar orders were issued in Cooch Behar and Bankura where the schools were asked to ensure that classes were held as per schedule and maintain arrival and departure schedules.

“These districts did not mention anything about the protest rallies, but it is clear why the orders were issued… Remaining districts might issue orders like this soon,” said a senior Nabanna official.

The Opposition parties have criticised the orders saying the orders gave clear indications that the state government was trembling after it faced the outrage of common people over the tragic incident at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

The leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, wrote in his X-handle that the spontaneous public outrage shook up the entire state administration and as protests by people were spreading, the government was trembling with fear.

He also wrote that the government issued the order to stop students from taking part in protest rallies as the call for a “March to Nabanna” on August 27 by a students’ platform — Paschim Banga Chhatra Samaj — has frightened the administration.

“…this order of the School Education Department has been issued to stop
students from participating in any programme other than what the Department permits,” writes Adhikari in his X-handle.

Responding to a question on the circular being sent to schools, a senior CPM state secretary Md Salim termed it as “entirely undemocratic”.

“School students and teachers can join government events and be made to raise slogans in favour of the chief minister and now when they want to protest they are being stopped. First, Trinamool leaders tried to stop the protests by issuing threats. But when they failed, the circular was issued. Teachers and students will burn such circulars,” Salim said.

At various places across Bengal, school students defied the circular and took out rallies to demand justice in the RG Kar rape and murder.

In Nadia’s Karimpur, students of a school who were ready to hit the streets but were not allowed to step out shouted slogans demanding the right to hit the streets.

“We demand permission to walk in a rally and lodge our protest,” said a student.

Sources in Nabanna said that the schools needed to stop taking out rallies for
three reasons.

First, many guardians were lodging complaints that their wards were being taken to the rallies without their consent.

Second, if such rallies are allowed further, it would be tough for the schools to complete the syllabus on time.

Third, as the rallies were being taken out without obtaining prior permission from the authorities, these were creating traffic snarls in many important places.

A senior bureaucrat said that according to reports received at Nabanna, several state-aided schools had taken out rallies in the past few days where the students took part in school uniforms.

“This is an embarrassment for the state government… The districts have been asked to stop the rallies further,” said the official.