West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chaterjee said the state government is not bound to follow the directives of the Union government on this matter. Independence Day will be celebrated here this year in the same manner that it is celebrated every year,” he told The Indian Express. “It has been decided by the state School Education Department that Independence Day 2017 will not be celebrated in this manner,” the state government circular said. Calling the state government’s decision “unfortunate” on Sunday, HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar shared a copy of the West Bengal memo. “Directions to educational institutions would have already gone out regarding the observance of Independence Day.

Source: Indian Express August 13, 2017 21:48 UTC