West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday appealed to private English-medium schools across the state to begin summer vacations from May 9, in light of the escalating India-Pakistan tensions following Operation Sindoor.
The appeal came hours after the Indian Armed Forces launched coordinated strikes on nine terror camps across Pakistan and PoJK, in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives on April 22.
Banerjee said, “My appeal to the English-medium schools is to declare vacation now, from the day of Rabindra Jayanti (May 9), which is seven days ahead of the scheduled date, in view of the present situation.” She clarified it was not an order but a voluntary advisory to schools that haven’t yet declared holidays.
Meanwhile, state-run and government-aided schools in Bengal had already advanced their vacations to April 30 due to the ongoing heatwave.
In a related development, four Kolkata schools — DPS Ruby Park, La Martiniere for Boys, La Martiniere for Girls, and Future Foundation School — conducted emergency evacuation drills on Wednesday. These were overseen by the National Cadet Corps (NCC) to assess preparedness amid growing security concerns.
The missile strikes under Operation Sindoor mark one of India’s most significant military actions across the border since the 1971 war.
