RSS camp venue comes under attack

School granted permission to hold week-long training camp

January 02, 2017 06:11 pm | Updated January 03, 2017 08:52 am IST - KANNUR:

The broken windowpanes of Nithyananda Bhavan English Medium School at Puthiyatheru in Kannur. The school came under attack around 2.30 a.m. on Monday.

The broken windowpanes of Nithyananda Bhavan English Medium School at Puthiyatheru in Kannur. The school came under attack around 2.30 a.m. on Monday.

A private school, affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education, here which had provided its facilities for a week-long training camp of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) came under attack in the early hours of Monday by alleged activists of the Communist Part of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)].

Nithyananda Bhavan English Medium School at Puthiyatheru here, under the Valapattanam police station limits, came under attack around 2.30 a.m. on Monday. Authorities said the school’s windowpanes and water pipelines were smashed by a group of attackers who barged into the school premises intimidating a securityman.

The attack followed the conclusion of the ‘prathamik siksha varg’ (primary training camp) of the RSS on Sunday. The attackers also damaged plastic chairs on the premises.

The school is one of the three schools which CPI(M) district secretary P. Jayarajan had named as venues for the RSS training camp. The BJP and the RSS leadership here alleged that the CPI(M) was behind the attack as the party had unleashed a campaign against the training camp. Mr. Jayarajan had alleged a few days ago that the participants of the camp were being trained in use of weapons. The allegation was denied by the RSS.

Permission on request

When contacted, Principal A. Balakrishnan said the school premises were given on request for programmes of all political parties and local bodies and others during vacation time. The school premises had been given for the RSS camp last week following a written request, he added.

The BJP and RSS leadership here condemned the attack on the school. RSS leader P. Gopalankutty said the attack was a threat to democracy.

As the CPI(M) district secretary had been making allegations against the RSS camp in the district, the police should register a case against Mr. Jayarajan on charges of provoking the attack, he said at a press conference here on Monday. The police should conduct an impartial inquiry into the attack and ensure protection of all educational institutions, he added.

BJP district president P. Sathyaprakash said the CPI(M)’s attack on the school was instigated by the fact that the camp was attended by a large number of people cutting across religions. The CPI(M) was being intolerant as it was losing even party-controlled villages in the district, he said. Many youngsters and children from the Communist families had participated in the camp, he added.

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