Studying under the Shadow of the Gun

‘‘Aaj subah kisi ko maar rahe the. Hamein bahut dar laga (This morning, they (the policemen) were beating someone. We were very scared),’’ says Ruksana, a Class IV student. ‘‘He was probably a thief and the policemen were very angry,’’ she adds matter-of-factly.

A senior teacher, who preferred to remain anonymous, says: ‘‘We are certainly teaching under the shadow of the gun. At times, it becomes very difficult. When the police make arrests or conduct interrogations upstairs, students ask very uncomfortable questions…At times, we have to shut the doors and windows of classrooms.’’

The impact of their proximity to the securitymen is all too evident. All students who joined after 1990 are well-informed on the different types of guns and gadgets used by the police. For instance, a five-year-old student not only correctly identifies a wireless set being carried by a security official but also reels off the names of all types of big guns — starting from the SLR to Kalashnikovs to Stenguns.

Although they would prefer the police station to be shifted out, the school administration says the situation is much better now. ‘‘We have seen worse days here. There was a time when grenades exploded next to our wall, forcing us to squeeze into a corner,’’ recounts Makhan Lal Koul, an accounts officer at the school.

Koul adds: ‘‘We approached almost everyone, even the then Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao but nothing happened. Now, they are talking of shifting, because they have constructed a new complex…However, we have requested the police to avoid everything that could disrupt classwork or distract the students. They try their best to co-operate, but at times it becomes difficult for them as well.’’

And while there has not been a militant attack on the building so far, there is the perpetual fear of one. ‘It is a fear both the teachers and parents live with,’’ says Abdul Rasheed Mir, a parent of a student.

Ali Mohammed, a policeman, adds: ‘‘We try our best not to roam around with our guns because it scares the children. But what to do…’’ A police officer who has worked here during the mid-’90s when militancy was at its peak adds: ‘‘There is very little chance of a militant attack because it can lead to casualties of school children.’’

Strange as it may seem, the Visva Bharti Girls School is not an isolated case. There are other cases of even the Army units sharing a building with a school. In fact, an entire RR camp is housed in a school at Magam, Handwara.

According to G.A. Peer, director of school education, Kashmir, till ’99, security forces occupied 91 educational institutions. ‘‘Then the Government made it a priority to evacuate the school buildings and hospitals. Today, we have only 36 buildings under their occupation,’’ he says, adding, ‘‘in the prevailing situation, it is extremely dangerous for children to share their school building with the forces. There is a constant fear psychosis as the post can come under attack any time.’’

In several cases, Peer says, the department had to hire private buildings and shift the schools there. ‘‘Wherever the security forces say they have no alternative or it is strategically essential to occupy the school building, we are forced to make alternate arrangements,’’ he adds.