Patna, March 27: The Bihar Bengali Association is up in arms against the ?gross neglect? of the Bengali language and its students in the state and demanded that the Nitish Kumar government evolve a policy on the matter.

The association has charged that Bengalis have been deprived of pursuing education through the medium of their mother tongue and there is no policy on the appointment of teachers in schools.

?The answerscripts of students who write the secondary board examinations in Bengali were not being checked by competent teachers. Moreover, the provision of allowing students to take their intermediate examinations in Bengali has been done away with,? association secretary Biplab Dasgupta said.

The office-bearer described the situation as a ?conspiracy? to stop the study of Bengali at the intermediate and higher levels of education, which would result in the ?extinction? of all sanctioned posts and departments of the language in due course.

A senior education department official admitted that there was ?much merit? in the charges levelled by the association but said ?the issue does not seem to have grabbed the government?s attention at the moment?.

?We are aware of the pride of place occupied by the language in Bihar, which was once a part of undivided Bengal. The position in Jharkhand is much better,? the official said.

Historically, members of the Bengali community have set up a number of institutions in the twin states of Bihar and Bengal.

?Bengalis in Bihar are today are denied their constitutional right to seek primary education in their mother tongue. We welcome the government?s move to develop Urdu and Maithili in Bihar. But there is no reason why Bengali should be ignored in the process. Perhaps this is so because we do not constitute a considerable vote bank in Bihar,? Dasgupta said.

The association feared that the ?continuous policy? of neglect will make members of the community forget their mother tongue.

?Bengali is an internationally renowned language. The government cannot be unaware of the existing arrangement for non-Bengali students in Bengal, where they can pursue studies in their respective mother tongues,? the association secretary said.