Bengalis in Bihar stage dharna to press for demands

Patna, Nov 26 (UNI) Hundreds of Bengalis in Bihar today staged a dharna here, demanding creation of Bengali teachers' posts in schools and right to purchase land by the refugees in north Bihar.

Coming under the banner of ''Bihar Bengali Association'', the dharna had been organised in the wake of the alleged dilly-dallying attitude of the state government to create new posts for the sake of over one million Bengalis living in the state for long.

Speaking to newspersons at the dharna site, BBA president and noted physician Dr Dilip Sinha also regretted that despite several pleas no action had been taken to allow several thousand erstwhile Bengali refugees, who had settled in four north Bihar districts of East and West Champaran, Sitamarhi and Purnea for long, to purchase land in their names.

He said though at present about 36,000 Bengali students had been going to schools in different parts of Bihar, there was no provision for them to study in their mother tongue, particularly in far-flung areas.

About their future course of action, he said if no decision was taken by the government despite the dharna and the agitation, they might consider boycotting the coming general election en masse.

However,''no such decision had so far been taken,'' he pointed out.

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