Agitators to be urged to pull out

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Feb 11: The inauguration of the 26th state-level primary children sports meet begins tomorrow. To avoid any untoward incident before the meet, the district magistrate Mr Sridhar Ghosh has asked the Malda sub-divisional officer to persuade the ex-students of the Primary Teachers’ Training Institute (PTTI) to call off their hunger strike.

Dozens of Primary Teachers’ Training Institute students started the stir near the Old Circuit House gate in English Bazaar town, where the education minister Mr Partha De will stay along with several other state education officials.

The hunger strike, called by six Primary Teachers’ Training Institute students, began yesterday despite pleas from ruling party leaders and the Primary Teachers’ Organisation asking that the strike be called off in consideration of the three-day state-level sports meet beginning tomorrow.

The administrative officials anticipate the PTTI students demanding a meeting with minister Mr Partha De, and believe the group will create problems if the minister does not oblige.

The PTTI students say they will not relent, and will continue their movement till the end of the three-day sports meet.

A group of agitated PTTI students had yesterday met the district secretary of the CPI-M, Mr Jiban Moitra, demanding an appointment with the school education minister.

When Mr Moitra toed the party line, saying the matter rested entirely with Central government, the group turned to the Trinamul Congress for help.

Last evening, the hunger strikers were met by former sabhadhipati of Malda zilla parishad Mr Goutam Chakraborty, who recently joined the Trinamul Congress. Mr Chakraborty delivered a speech along with several other Trinamul leaders, following the instructions of Miss Mamata Banerjee.

Malda DM Mr Sridhar Ghosh said: “Thousands of children and teachers will be coming together from around the state and will stay in Malda town for the meet. I informed the agitators through the Malda SDO that they must call off the strike by this evening, to uphold the honour of the state and the state-level sports meet.”