ITAHARI: All Nepal National Independent Students’ Union-Revolutionary (ANNISU-R)— the Maoists’ student wing — issued a warning notice to a school in Itahari accusing that the school had collected fees from underprivileged and dalit students despite its promise of free education to them yesterday.

ANNISU-R No 2 Area Committee chairman Hemsagar, and secretary Devendra Poudel, stated that Peace Zone Residential Secondary School had collected Rs 35,775 from the guardians of Sushmita, Garima and Sumita Thatal. The school, however, had admitted them promising free education under the quota for the underprivileged and dalits.

ANNISU-R also accused the school of making profit, ignoring dalit students and causing mental stress on them and their family members. The Maoists’ student union has threatened that they will collect the amount along with interest from the school and warned of untoward situation if the school did not return the money immediately. The school is also asked to apologise to the guardians. Jagadish Prasad Oli, principal of the school clarified that only one of the students was admitted for free. He added that the school had dues to be collected from the other two.

Stating that the students had already left the school without information, Oli said that he was surprised to learn that the ANNISU-R had issued a notice against the school. He also added that though he had promised to offer help for their district conference, they had issued a notice against him.

Prior to this incident, ANNISU-R activists had asked for a large sum as donation after vandalising school buses of Delhi Public and Bishnu Memorial School earlier this week.