An autonomous body managing administrative affairs in the Darjeeling Hills has announced that students in the region’s schools are exempt from singing the state anthem during prayers, reported PTI.

On November 6, the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) issued a notification mandating all state-run and state-aided schools to include “Banglar Mati Banglar Jol," written by Rabindranath Tagore and previously declared the state anthem, alongside the national anthem.

The song “Banglar Mati Banglar Jol" (Bengal’s land, Bengal’s water) was penned by the Nobel laureate in 1905 to protest the partition of Bengal.

On November 7, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration Secretary P D Pradhan issued a notice to the district inspector of schools, pointing out that many schools in the GTA re

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