School & mass education dept seeks report on use of kids in Posco protest

Close on the heels of the state Women and Child Development department seeking reports from the Jagatsinghpur district administration on the use of small children in the anti-Posco agitation, the state School and Mass Education department has asked the district administration to probe the allegation of children deserting schools to join the agitation.

It may be noted children, who have beendeployed at the front of a human barricade to resist the entry of officials for land acquisition in the Posco site, are the latest ammunition of the Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS) in its fight against the steel project.

Staying away from their schools, nearly 500 children have been sitting on dharna at Gobindpur at the behest of PPSS for last 15 days.

As the education system has been completely paralyzed in Dhinkia, Gobindpur and Patana villages, the school and mass education department has intervened and has directed the district administration to conduct an inquiry about this matter.

Interestingly, the direction of women and child development minister Anjali Behera to the district administration to report within 24 hours on use of kids and children on Posco agitation has only proved to be a propaganda as no such direction has been communicated yet to the district administration.

When asked, the district social welfare officer, Kumuduni Sahu said, “No direction has been received yet from the department of women & child development to inquire about this matter”.

She also explained that majority of children have been forced to join this agitation without their interest which is illegal and unjustified.

There is no question of submission of report to either the state government or to the district collector on this sensitive issue as we have not received any such direction, she added.