The Hindu : Many minority students in a fix

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 19, 2002

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Many minority students in a fix
By Manas Dasgupta

GANDHINAGAR, MARCH 18. In an apparent discriminatory move, the BJP Government in Gujarat has denied the riot-stricken minority students the option of appearing in the secondary and higher secondary board examinations - which began today - in a better frame of mind later.

The option was announced on Friday following representations from the minority communities and others, but was withdrawn within 24 hours forcing all students other than those in the Ahmedabad and Baroda police commissionerate areas - where the examinations had been postponed indefinitely - to appear for the examinations as per the previous schedule.

The decision has drawn flak from the Opposition and the academicians who feel that the students still in the riot relief camps - mostly belonging to the minority communities - are not in the right frame of mind to take the crucial board examinations. The Government on Friday had announced that those who were unwilling to appear in the examinations beginning from today would be allowed the option to appear in the second set of examinations to be held from May 6. But within 24 hours, the decision was revised. The Government decided to postpone the examinations in Ahmedabad and Baroda in view of the ``continued disturbed conditions'', but resolved to continue with the schedule in the rest of the State.

As pointed out by the Pradesh Congress Committee president, Amarsinh Chaudhary, the decision had put these students in a piquant situation, because in addition to Ahmedabad and Baroda, about a dozen other towns and villages are still reeling under indefinite curfew and the school-going children would be forced to appear at the examination centres inside the curfew-bound areas.

Police have agreed to treat the examination slips as curfew pass, but parents of small children would not be allowed to accompany their wards. Besides, in the absence of buses and other public transport in the curfew-bound areas, the students would be put to great hardship to reach the examination centres.

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