Children in Bihar appeal to Maoists not to target schools

PATNA - Hundreds of poor school children in Bihar’s Aurangabad district have appealed to Maoist guerrillas not to damage or target their schools as it impacts their education badly.

In an open letter to Maoists, the school children urged Maoists not to deprive them of education by damaging and blowing up the school buildings.

“Maoist uncle, what is our mistake that you blow up schools and deprive us of education? You may have problems with the police but we fail to understand why are we your enemy? What is our mistake that our schools have become a soft target for you,” school children wrote in their letter to Maoist guerrillas.

After railways and mobile towers, schools in rural areas have become the soft target of Maoist guerrillas in Bihar, a senior police official here told IANS.

“Maoists have been targeting school buildings fearing that these buildings would be used by central para-military forces,” the police official said.

According to police sources, more than 20 school buildings have been blown up by Maoists in different districts in the state. At least ten school buildings were blown up or badly damaged in Aurangabad, Gaya, Rohtas and Jehanabad districts which are the worst Maoist-affected districts.