Patan clash: Exams set to begin, children yet to return to village

“We have no books or uniforms. Everything was burnt in the clash. We have nothing to eat. How will we go to school like this?” asks Nazrana Pathan, a Class IX student from Vagjipara, who is staying at a camp.

On March 25, a mob from surrounding villages including Sunsar and Takodi reached Vagjipara — an extended colony of nearly 1,500 Muslims — in Vadavali following a fight between school students.

One person died and 20 were injured in the ensuing clash.

In the three government primary schools in the village, 116 boys and 129 girls are Muslims. Vadavali Kanya Prathmik Shala, a girls’ school with classes from primary till VIII, has the maximum number of students.

Simran Sifa, a Class VIII student of the school, was not sure she would be able to take her exams. “We are getting support, but we lost our homes. Either we help our family in getting rehabilitated or prepare for exams. It is difficult to choose,” she said.

“Of the 252 girls in the school, 115 are Muslims. The houses of more than 70 of them were set afire. These students are not attending school. They are staying with relatives in other villages. After several meetings with parents last week, 25-30 students turned up,” Amritbhai Patel, the principal, told The Indian Express. “I told the parents that they need not worry about uniforms, books or documents. The school will provide these through donations.”

At Kumar Prathmik Shala Vadavali, the boys’ primary school, half the students were affected by the clash. Out the 184 students from Class I to VIII, 93 are Muslims.

Shabbir Mustafa Qureshi, a Class VIII student, said, “It is difficult to prepare for exams where our parents are struggling for food and shelter.”

Principal Vinodbhai Prajapati said, “The students are finding it tough to attend school but we are trying to help them. The attendance is slightly above 50 per cent after the clash, but we hope it will increase after our meetings with parents.”

The only government school in Vagjipara has classes from lower primary till V. All 37 students are Muslims, with 23 boys and 14 girls.

Around 30 students in the area are appearing for Class IX examinations and 60-70 for Class XI. Schools have been asked to wind up the academic session by April 20.

The education department is doing its part. “We assured the villagers their problems would be solved. We have asked the principals to help students with studies and provide duplicate documents,” said Sanjay Vyas, District Education Officer, Patan.

NGOs based in Ahmedabad have also visited the village. “The women and children are in shock. They break down when the incident is mentioned. Children have stopped going to school. We have counselled them to continue studies. The district administration and school authorities have promised to help, but it will take time for them to get back to their normal lives,” said Kherunnisha Pathan from NGO Parwaaz, which has camped at the village for three days.

Initial reports suggested that the fight began at a school in Vadavali. However, the school authorities have denied this. “There are CCTV cameras in our school. We challenge anyone to check the footage. The incident did not take place in or near our premises,” said V V Desai, principal of CA Shah Nutan Vidyalaya, which was the examination centre of the boys who allegedly picked a fight that led to the clash.

On Wednesday, the district administration organised a camp in the village to issue duplicate documents including Aadhaar card, ration card, voter identity and BPL cards.