Lalgarh Students on Hunger stike

The People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) started a hunger strike demanding the opening of schools in the area, which have been converted to camps for security forces for some time now.

Dozens of men, women and children sat on a fast at the Gohomidanga High School, demanding security forces be removed from there and normal classes resumed.

“The schoolchildren and their parents have initiated a hunger-strike because despite assurances, the state government is yet to open the schools for the children. Besides, security forces are harassing and torturing innocent villagers in the name of conducting operations against the Maoists. We are spearheading our agitation against this,” said PCAPA leader Chhattradhar Mahato.

A few days back the police had lathicharged and lobbed tear gas shells on a group of students and their parents of Gohamidanga School when they were demanding shifting of a police camp from the school premises requisitioned by the district police to accommodate security forces. Fifty students were injured in the incident.

Mahato recently established communication with Left Front leaders other than those in the CPM and sought their support for their movement. Constituents of the Left Front, including RSP and Forward Bloc, have spoken against the police operation in Lalgarh and promised to take up the matter with the Front leadership.

Indian Express