Students of Dhanraj High School raise slogans, demanding proper environment for education in Muzaffarpur on Tuesday. Picture by Prakash Kumar

Muzaffarpur, Feb. 15: They want education, not closed doors at schools. Students, with the demand of getting their right fulfilled, turned out in large numbers, protesting and pleading for a conducive atmosphere.

And they stood united, with over 350 children of Dhanraj High School in the region today touring the villages to grab the attention of people.

Gripped by fear of Naxalite outrage, teachers of the school at Tengrari village have moved out, bringing the academic activities to a standstill.

The Telegraph, on February 5, reported how two teachers of the school were severely beaten up by Maoists for hoisting the Tricolour on January 26 after removing the rebels’ black flags at the school.

The school has remained closed since then, affecting studies ahead of the final examination for the classes.

The duel started as teachers of the school headed by its acting principal, Pramod Kumar Singh and an assistant teacher defied the Maoist diktat and removed the black flag. This angered the western zonal committee of CPI (Maoist) and they beat up the two teachers. They had to be admitted to Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital on February 2.

The other teachers of the school, fearing the rebels, went on long leaves. The Naxalites distributed pamphlets in the areas, threatening people with dire consequences if they dared refute their orders.

The students of the school today toured eight villages under Minapur police station to gather support from people, especially students of schools in the region. They also appealed to the think-tank of the rebels asking them not to disrupt educational activities in the area. The children also aimed at catching the attention of the administration and police officers to, urging them to take some steps to restore an atmosphere conducive for studies.

The children raised slogans for re-establishment of education in the region. Shanti Kumari of Tengrari village carrying a placard, shouted: “Aadhi roti khayenge, magar school zaroor jayenge (We don’t mind half a meal, but we want to go to school).”

The procession of boys and girls visited Banghara, Dhekuli, Ghesot, Budhnagra and Gosaitola villages under Minapur police station. Sudharshan, a Class IX student, said the boys and girls would fervently appeal to the Maoists not to affect academic activities, by organising a get-together on February 18. Janak Singh from Tegrari told The Telegraph the future of the students enrolled in the school is doomed. Though the matriculation examination of Bihar State Secondary Education Board is scheduled to start from February 23, students are yet to get their admit cards.

Sudhir Gupta of Dhekuli village said: “The state government has turned a deaf ear to the cries of teachers of the school, who have been requesting for security for a long time.”

Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, the vice-president of Secondary Teachers’ Association, said: “Teachers are no longer safe. They have been repeatedly exposed to Red rage. The state government should come forward to protect the teachers and facilitate safety and security.”

District education officer R.N. Pandey said block development officer Nawal Kishore Prasad has brought the matter to the notice of the state government for necessary action. Deputy superintendent of police (East) Shibli Nomani said the police have intensified patrolling in Tengrari village after the incident.