Fear runs deep among students rescued from LoC schools

Amir Karim Tantray

Tribune News Service

Nowshera, July 19

It was no less than a miracle for 217 students, trapped in several schools in the Nowshera sector on Line of Control (LoC) on Tuesday, to come home alive.

Their faces spoke of the ordeal they went through as Pakistani army shelled the area, leaving them trapped in their schools for hours together.

Fear still runs deep among the survivors and is visible on their faces. Most of them are unable to explain how they managed to come out alive as the Pakistan army rained shells on the area.

Parents of the trapped children were unaware of their ordeal till they were rescued and reunited with their families.

Students of Government High School, Bhawani, were trapped inside the school for four hours, while students at Sehar school were trapped for over six hours. At Kadali school, a teacher rescued 11 students by taking them to an underground bunker in the village and kept them there for the night.

One of the survivors, Anu Bhardwaj, 15, a Class X student of Government High School, Bhawani, and a resident of Jhangar village, said: “We were around 50 students in a classroom when firing and shelling started. Our teachers directed us not to step outside the class as shells were landing nearby and splinters could have hit anybody. Everybody was scared,” Anu told The Tribune.

Anu along with her family has been living in a relief camp set up at Government Higher Secondary School (Boys), Nowshera, since May 12 this year, when the Pakistani army resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation.

As a precautionary measure, the administration had in May this year evacuated people to safer places. Around 3,500 people are, however, still living in migrant camps in the Nowshera sector. “I am happy to be back but we were horrified,” Anu said.

All schools in the Nowshera sector were closed by the administration in May and classes were being run in relief camps till the government ordered summer vacation for all schools falling under the summer zone.

As the summer vacation ended and schools reopened on July 17, the administration decided to open the schools near the Line of Control as well.

“It was a bit calm in this sector in the past couple of weeks. We decided to open the schools near the LoC, but the experiment failed as within a couple of days of reopening the schools, the Pakistani army resorted to heavy shelling,” said Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, Deputy Commissioner, Rajouri.

While the rescue operation ended around 9.30 pm on Tuesday, the district administration today ordered closure of 75 schools along the LoC in Rajouri for an indefinite period.

Rajouri DC inspects relief camps, villages

Jammu, July 19

Deputy Commissioner Rajouri Shahid Iqbal Choudhary today visited various villages affected by border shelling. He also inspected damaged schools and reviewed arrangements at relief camps. 

As many as 3,411 persons belonging to 852 families are residing in five relief camps in view of repeated ceasefire violations. Three more buildings have been earmarked as relief camps. 

Shelling was reported from different areas of Manjakote today. At least 10-12 shells landed on the premises of primary schools at Kalotra and Kotedhara in Manjakote. However, no shelling was reported in the Nowshera subdivision. The DC said the district administration would construct 100 bunkers in Nowshera.  

Migrants at various relief camps in Nowshera have been provided ration, firewood, generator sets, medical facilities, potable drinking water and other basic amenities. Arrangements have also been made to hold classes for students in camps. The students of Government Higher Secondary Schools in Nowshera have been shifted to nearby Degree College.

Meanwhile, an immediate assistance of Rs 10,000 each was sanctioned for three persons, Sanjeev Kumar, Mulkh Raj and Santosh Sharma, who were injured in shelling. TNS