Students suffer due to Nitish Kumar's massive rally

Hundreds of students have been forced to skip school in Patna and neighbouring areas after security forces – deployed for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's much-publicised Adhikar Yatra -- took over the premises of nearly twenty schools since Friday.

Students of these government-run schools have been asked to come back on Monday as security forces had taken over their class rooms till Sunday evening, an official of the education ministry said.

In Raghunath Balika Uchch Vidayalya, an all-girl school in Kankarbagh, Patna security forces have occupied ten class rooms instead of the four allotted to them.

"We were forced to suspend classes," said Principal Padma Kumari.

Security forces have also taken over Chirayiatand High School and Narayni Kanya Uchch Vidaylya in Patna since Thursday night.

In some schools, the authorities were not even informed about the security forces occupying their premises. A official of the education ministry said that nearly 16 schools have been earmarked for the stay of security forces from Saturday evening.

Incidentally, the ruling Janata Dal-United had earlier claimed that school premises were not being used to house additional security personnel.

According to police officials, nearly 10,000 policemen will be deployed in Patna for Kumar's Adhikar Yatra on November 4. While 5,000 of them would be deployed from Patna, the remaining will be summoned from other districts.

JD-U has booked seven special trains and more than 10,000 buses to ferry supporters to Patna for the massive rally.

The Adhikar Yatra is part of Kumar's bid to put pressure on the central government to provide special status to Bihar for speedy economic development.

This is first time Kumar is holding a party rally in Patna since he became the chief minister in  November 2005.