Srinagar: Kashmiri students will return to their classrooms on Wednesday, eight months after the killing of militant commander, Burhan Wani, triggered a torrent of street rage that claimed close to 100 lives.
The students could not attend school and colleges after the popular Hizbul Mujahideen commander was killed in an encounter with security forces in Anantnag district.
His killing sparked a wave of street demonstrations across the Valley. To quell the clashes, security forces shot close to 100 youth, many students included, and wounded thousands others.
More than 700 kids were fully or partially blinded during the widespread firing of pellets — a measure which kicked off a debate in the Valley and outside on the use of shot or pellet guns.
"Thank God, boys and girls would return to schools and educational institutes. It has been a long time," a school education official told News 18. "We hope there are no disruptions this year. The kids have already lost lot of time."
Chashu and other parents' predicament stems from the fact that army and paramilitary chiefs have talked tough recently and Valley separatists too are not backing off.
The separatists have hit back saying "while the forces are threatening people this won't deter them from fighting for freedom". The separatists have announced a Kashmir shutdown on March 10.
Towards the fall of 2016, when the examination calendar was announced, nearly 30 schools, mostly run by government, were mysteriously gutted in the Valley.
The students, meanwhile, did write some important exams, but those in the lower classes got promoted en masse.
And days before the schools reopen after a long recess, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti passed on the baton of education ministry to Altaf Bukhari, replacing Nayeem Akthar — the bureaucrat turned politician.
Bukhari had earlier held the Roads and Buildings portfolio in Mufti Mohammad Sayeed government but was shunted out when Mehbooba Mufti took over.
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