‘My heart is set on fire when a school is burnt’
TRAL/NEW DELHI: Muzaffar Wani, father of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani whose killing sparked unrest in Kashmir, expressed “deep pain” over the burning down of schools in the Valley and made a fervent appeal to those behind it to refrain from targeting educational institutions.
Muzaffar Wani, a retired government teacher, told PTI that “as a teacher, whenever a school is burnt down, my heart is set on fire.”
“This is not right. Whosoever is responsible for this is doing no good to the society. A society without any education is lifeless. They do not have any identity,” Wani said and made it clear that he was making this statement as a teacher and not a leader.
“My appeal to all people as well as ‘agencies’ is that whoever is doing this is not doing the correct thing. For God’s sake, please refrain from such acts because education is the only thing which will help us in becoming good humans,” he said.
Over 25 educational institutions have been burnt by miscreants in the Valley since July 9, a day after Burhan was killed in an encounter in South Kashmir. “This is not right. Whosoever is responsible for this, it’s not right. It will be lifeless without any education and, therefore, whosoever is indulging in such acts is doing no good to the society,” he said.
Asked about the forced closure of educational institutions in the Valley following the prolonged unrest, Wani said, “I am pained that the children are being deprived of education.
However, he also held the state and Central government responsible for the situation.
Echoing the sentiment, Human Rights Watch (HRW) — an international non-profit organisation — has said attacks on educational institutions should stop immediately. “The burning of schools, assaults on teachers and students, the occupation of schools by the police and military, and the recruitment of children to become fighters violate the rights of children or thwart their chances to get an education,” a statement by Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director of the body, read.
(With inputs from HTC)