Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose has expressed concern over the discovery of a tunnel underneath the house of an alleged fake gold idol dealer in South 24 Parganas district, asserting that it poses a "national security concern".

The tunnel, unearthed by the police in Kultali area on July 15, connects to a nearby canal that flows into the Matla river.

"The existence of the well-planned and structured tunnel reportedly leading to a nearby canal flowing into the Matla River in the Sunderbans beyond which lies the Indo-Bangladesh international border gives rise to serious national security concern," the Raj Bhavan said in a post on X on Sunday.

The owner of the house and fake gold dealer, Saddam Sardar, was suspected to have used the tunnel to escape during a police raid. He was later arrested.

The governor alleged that the local police were "reportedly aware" of the “thriving fake gold mafia”, and "now the situation has come to such a pass that it puts the state in a very bad light since it is compromising our national security."

Bose also called for a report on the action taken by the state government to check organised crimes along the international borders.

The governor urged the West Bengal government to make the role of police objective and proactive.

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Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.

AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.

“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.

He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.

“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.

According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.

In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.

AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.