Dhankhar addresses function over loudspeakers, TMC alleges violation of sound restrictions

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.

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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.

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