2 J&K schools torched, 24 so far

It was the 111th day of unrest, triggered by the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani, and shops and other businesses remained shut in response to a call issued by an alliance of key separatist leaders.

As the mayhem continues, a primary school building was torched by unknown persons, called “miscreants” by the police, in Tappar village of Pattan area in north-western Baramulla district. An official spokesman said that it was the 23rd incident of arson involving a school building. A report from central district of Budgam said that yet another school — a government middle school — in the village of Habber gutted in fire late Thursday evening.

The increasing incidence of schools being targeted by unknown persons has evoked widespread condemnation across the Valley and beyond. Apart from the government, various mainstream and separatist political parties and leaders, social and religious organisations and civil society groups are aghast over “obnoxious” acts which they believe are aimed at depriving the Valley’s young generation of education, the key to their success.

The mysterious incidents have taken place at a time when the government’s decision to hold the final examinations of the Class 10 and 12 from mid-November despite stiff opposition of the Opposition parties, the separatists and other sections of the society, apart from select student and academics groups, on the premise that in present circumstances it would be risky to force the students to relocate to examination centres. They have also said that hundreds of students have been maimed and even blinded in shotgun pellet firings and other actions of the security forces in their attempt to contain the unrest and many more are languishing in jails.

While chief minister Mehbooba Mufti and education minister Naeem Akhtar have strongly condemned the incidents and vowed to bring those involved in these acts of arson to justice, the separatist leadership said it could be the handiwork of “enemies of the people and freedom movement”. Mr Akhtar said in a statement earlier this week, “The biggest causality has been the loss of human lives which is irreparable.”

We cannot bring them back but we can save our future generation.”

He added that the damage to schools is not just burning of an institution but a colossal loss for the entire society.

Kashmir’s chief Muslim cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq who is part of the alliance which is spearheading the current stir told this newspaper “It is an irresponsible activity and we strongly condemn it. There are some people and agencies who are trying to smudge the freedom movement and the ongoing fight. We are totally against damaging any public property much less schools which are future of our children,” he said. He added, “We strongly feel that burning or damaging schools and other public property is anti people and anti movement and the people must remain alert against such activity and expose the elements which are behind it.”

Meanwhile, a group of masked youth torched yet another auto-rickshaw in Srinagar’s Saidapora, Rainawari locality on Wednesday night. As many as 13 such incidents have taken place across the Valley during the past few weeks apparently to punish the operators and owners for violating the shutdown diktat and the police has arrested 15 of the 22 persons accused of being involved in these. The police, however, denied reports that a stationery truck was also set ablaze in Srinagar’s Parimpora area on Thursday.

In north-western Sopore town, unidentified person hurled a petrol bomb on street vendors who had set their merchandize-laden carts outside the a hospital near Iqbal Market on Thursday, the police said. Readymade garments placed on one of the carts caught fire in the act, witnesses said.

Over the past few weeks, despite shutdown calls from the separatists, increasing vehicular movement is witnessed on the roads and even select public transport vehicles including cabs and auto-rickshaws ply on select routes. Also, shops remained open in some areas beyond the ‘relaxation’ periods announced by the separatists’ alliance named as ‘joint resistance movement’.

Meanwhile, the police said that two “hardcore stone-pelters” were on Thursday arrested in Jammu for their involvement in incidents of violence and arson in Srinagar. It said that the accused Humair alias Nelcha and Zahid Rasool Shiekh, both residents of Srinagar’s Nowhatta locality, were hiding in Jammu to evade arrest.

In another statement, the police said that the situation across the Valley remained “normal” even though a minor stone throwing incident was reported from southern Pulwama.