In Chhatral, fearful parents want kids to stay home, miss board exams!

Ahmedabad: Chhatral, Gandhinagar, is gripped by communal tension following recent violence. Parents want their kids, especially girls, to stay home and not travel to appear in board exams. Even though activists and locals have sought police protection to ferry students to and from their examination centres, parents fear of violence by Hindu hardliners.
Locals in Chhatral allege that Bajrang Dal workers are behind the recent violence on March 5 in which the fingers of an elderly woman, Roshanbiwi Sayed, were chopped off and her son, Farzan, was critically injured. Farzan was put on life support system on Saturday night. “There are nearly 20 students in this area in class X and XII board examinations, but the recent violence has scared them and they are not ready to step outside their houses,” said Aslam Syed, a local resident of Kasba in Chhatral.

“Also, the students could not prepare well for their exams due to the communal tension and scuffles and violence in the area that began since Bajrang Dal’s procession on December 6 last year,” said Syed. B I Syed, another resident of Kasba, said, “My daughter Maherin Banu is in class X but she could not attend school for last two months due to communal tension.” He added, “The school is located in a Hindu-dominated area, and I fear my daughter may get caught in some untoward incident. Police must escort my daughter and other kids to examination centre.”

Sarfaraz Syed, another resident of Kasba, Chhatral, said, “My niece Mahenoor is also in class X, but she is not likely to appear in exams due to the communal tension here. I do not have trust in police and administration. Had they wanted to protect us, then such violence would not have happened.”

Rights activist and advocate Shamshad Pathan said that his outfit Alpsankhyak Adhikar Manch (AAM) has approached the Gandhinagar SP seeking protection for the kids of both Hindu and Muslim communities who are appearing in board exams from Monday onwards.

Gandhinagar district collector Satish Patel claimed that the situation is now normal in Chhatral. “Police and district administration have been monitoring the condition and we will also engage local teachers to bring students to examination centres,” he said.