Students forced to study under trees ever since Maoists destroyed school in Jharkhand

Latehar (Jharkhand), July 16 (ANI): About 260 students of Jharkhand's Latehar district have been attending classes under trees in their school compound ever since Ghasitola school was blown Maoist rebels two months ago.

Students and teachers both complained of inconvenience that they have to face due to unavailability of a proper school building.

"Studying under the tree, we face many difficulties. When it rains during the rainy season, we have to run out in the middle of the class. We take classes according to the weather forecast," said Rajkumari Tirki, a teacher.

They even accused that Maoists blew the school as police had stationed their camps inside the school.

Meanwhile, students also complained that presence of police on the premises was hampering their study.

The Maoists have recently stepped up attacks against police, officials and civilians away from remote rural areas and closer to towns and cities across the country.

Maoists, who say they are fighting for the rights of poor farmers and landless labourers, are expanding their influence in east, central and southern India.

Thousands have been killed in the insurgency which began in the late 1960s and which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described as a grave threat to country's internal security. (ANI)