West Bengal Govt Shuts Down 125 RSS Sponsored Schools

Mamta Banerjee Govt has already closed down 125 schools run by the RSS in the state since 2017 and is planning to shun around 370 more such schools in the coming days.

West Bengal State Education Minister Partha Chatterjee on Tuesday told the Assembly that these schools did not follow the mandatory syllabus and rather totally occupied with giving religious teachings alongside 'lathi' training.

The education minister said, “We have thoroughly investigated each and every school. Many were run without taking no-objection certificates from the government. We have already closed down 125 schools and will possibly close the remaining schools as well. The process is still on.”

Chatterjee said that the West Bengal government would not allow ‘Lathi’ games inside educational institutions of the state.

“There is no way we could allow these schools to become radical,” the minister said.

The West Bengal BJP has reacted fiercely to the administration's steps. Since the administration's drive against RSS-sponsored schools started, the BJP has recorded numerous petitions in courts against the closure notices; the courts have issued stay orders in a few cases.

The BJP said it had effectively gone to the Calcutta High Court against the West Bengal government's sudden attack on schools keep running by the Vidya Vikash Parishad, a wing of the RSS. These schools are either named as Vivekananda Shishu Mandir or Saraswati Shishu Mandir. Such schools are situated in seven outskirt locale of West Bengal.

Biswapriya Roychowdhury, the vice president of the West Bengal BJP, slammed the Trinamool Congress and said the government was being 'thick-skinned' on the issue.

“This government is shameless. They don’t know that we went to the High Court against their decision and the court has already imposed a stay order. This government is wearing the skins of rhinos, so that they don’t respond even if they are touched,” said Roychowdhury.

Calling the action of the government as contempt of court, Roychowdhury said, “We will move court against this and would urge the honourable court to issue contempt notice to the state government.”

When asked about the Lathi training, BJP leaders responded that along with Lathi, training of Karate is also being given. Biplab Ray, a spokesperson, said it wasn’t the RSS’s mandate to run schools. “The state should pay attention at the madrasas instead, and check what they teach,” said Ray. Partha Chatterjee, when asked, replied that Madarsas aren’t under his jurisdiction.

“In fact, in all West Bengal schools, there are physical education teachers who are supposed to give students all such defensive training. Unfortunately, they are kept idle in such schools. But in all these schools run by Vidya Vikash Parishad, such training is given, which is part of the physical education and is nothing unusual,” Roychowdhury said.

West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee has announced that the state government would be taking action against schools running without no-objection certificates.

Speaking against schools imposing "extreme religious teachings", Chatterjee declared a crackdown against those are "training students to wield sticks.