Dhankhar addresses function over loudspeakers, TMC alleges

Use of loudspeakers at a function addressed by Jagdeep Dhankhar sparked a row, with the

Trinamool Congress alleging that the West Bengal governor violated the restrictions put in place due to the ongoing

state board examinations. Dhankhar inaugurated a 10-day-long fair at Anantapur

Mill grounds in rural Howrah's Shyampur police station area on Wednesday evening.

Addressing the gathering, the governor said if a man gets educated, it only helps him but when a woman gets

educated, she uplifts the entire society. At least eight loudspeakers were put up near the stage

from where Dhankhar addressed the locals gathered at the fairground.

District police and administration officials were tight-lipped over the incident. The Raj Bhavan also refused to

comment. The organisers said they took permission from the

police for the fair. Bholanath Mondal, the chief of the organising

committee, said that only the loudspeakers near the stage were used during the governor's address and those outside the

ground were switched off. "The Kali puja in Anantapur and the fair around it is

a very old tradition. We don't have any option but to use the loudspeakers," he said.

Locals said there are several Madhyamik examinees living near the fairground and a high school is located with a

kilometre. Local TMC MLA Kalipada Mondal criticised the governor

and said what he did was not legal as it violated the restrictions imposed on the use of loudspeakers due to the

ongoing Madhyamik examinations. A district administration source said they are probing

whether the organisers had permission to use the loudspeakers. PTI CORR

SOM SOM