Primary teachers apply for transfer from Junglemahal

30 August 2011

Maoist threat cited as reason
biswabrata goswami
MIDNAPORE, 30 AUG: At a time when the Trinamul Congress has been charged for building “armed squads” in the remote areas of Junglemahal in West Midnapore to counter attacks and extortion demands of Maoists, several primary schoolteachers in Junglemahal have sought transfer from the area in the face of Maoist threats.
In the past two months, at least 75 teachers from different schools of the Salboni, Goaltore, Lalgarh, Jhargram, Jamboni, Binpur, Silda and Nayagram areas have applied to the chairman of the district primary school council seeking transfer to schools in areas which are not affected by Maoists.
In most of their applications, the teachers have alleged that they are being often asked to pay ransom by the Maoists.
“In the past two years, the Maoists have extorted money from me thrice. Recently, activists of the People’s Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA), a frontal outfit of Maoists, have again demanded Rs 50,000 from me,” Mr Abhirup Basak (name changed on request), a headmaster of a primary school, barely three kms away from Salboni, said.
“It has now become unbearable to me. So, I have applied to the council chairman urging him to transfer me to some other schools,” Mr Basak said.
Mr Rathin Pandey (named changed on request), a primary schoolteacher of Binpur, said: “I am compelled to stay away from my school for the past two months out of the fear of Maoist attack. Two months ago, a group of rebels came to me and threatened to kill me if I fail to pay money to them."
A senior police officer, who often conducts raids in Junglemahal, said with the withdrawal of the Central forces, who had been deployed during the last Assembly poll, the rebels are trying their best to regroup again. “The Maoists require funds to regroup. Schoolteachers are soft targets as they have an assured monthly source of income,” the police officer said.
A police report suggests that the Maoists had murdered 22 primary schoolteachers either for having links with the CPI-M or for refusing to pay money in the past two years.
Mr Biswanath Mandal, secretary of the All Bengal Primary Teachers' Association (ABPTA), said the schools in the Junglemahal are already understaffed. In the Junglemahal, there are about 1,200 schools where 2,500 posts are still vacant. Hundreds of teachers had applied for transfer in the past months, but no one has been transferred yet, he said.
Mr Swapan Murmu, chairman of primary council, however, said it was not possible to transfer so many teachers at a go. “No one is interested to go to schools in Junglemahal. So, it’s very tough to consider the appeal," Mr Murmu said.
Meanwhile, repeated incidents of Maoists threatening local Trinamul Congress leaders and MLAs, including Mrs Churamoni Mahato and Mr Srikanta Mahato, as well as attacks on state Paschimanchal development affairs minister Mr Sukumar Hansda, have forced the Trinamul Congress leaders to build their “armed squads”.