Kolkata: An autonomous body formed to run administrative affairs in Darjeeling Hills has said that students of the schools in the region have been exempted from singing the state anthem during prayers.

The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) on November 6 issued a notification saying that all state-run and state-aided schools will have “Banglar mati Banglar jol”, penned by Rabindranath Tagore and earlier declared as the state anthem, from now on, along with the national anthem.

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

Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) Secretary P D Pradhan said in a notice on November 7 to the district inspector of schools that many institute

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