A makeshift CRPF camp on the Mahulia Uchcha Vidyalaya premises at Galudih. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Ghatshila, Nov. 19: A slew of government schemes notwithstanding, the Mahulia Uchcha Vidyalaya at Galudih in Ghatshila is fast losing on attendance. And it is not the fear of Maoists, but the “unwarranted intrusion” of paramilitary forces that is keeping the students, especially girls, off campus.

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) had set up camp on the school premises in August last year after a businessman, Krishna Mahto, was gunned down by suspected rebels at Galudih Chowk in the Ghatshila police station area. What, initially, had seemed a welcome move by the administration, soon started taking toll on the academic environment of the school.

Students first started skipping classes at the slightest pretext. Later, many dropped out. Principal Amarnath Jha said the only high school in Galudih, Mahulia Uchcha Vidyalaya had 722 students on its rolls. Of this, 45 per cent were girls. “Ever since the camp was set up, conducting classes became a difficult task. Of the 12 classrooms, five are occupied by the jawans. The two halls are also being used by them,” Jha told The Telegraph.

“Students are being huddled into classrooms because of space crunch. With jawans posted everywhere, girl students are facing problems. They cannot go to toilets whenever they wish to. The presence of forces has restricted their movements. Attendance has dropped by about 25 per cent. Many have left school,” he added.

Guardians, anxious over the future of their wards, lodged a complaint with the People’s Union for Civil Liberty (PUCL), a human rights organisation. Chandra Shekar Bhattacharya, a key functionary of PUCL, said that the parents had expressed their worries because the children refused to attend classes. In September, the rights body filed a public interest litigation (PIL) with Jharkhand High Court. PUCL’s Jharkhand unit general secretary B.B. Pathak said it demanded immediate withdrawal of the forces from the school.

The PIL came up for hearing on October 23. The high court took cognisance of the issue and observed that the school be immediately vacated. The next date for hearing is November 20.

Superintendent of police Naveen Kumar Singh admitted that the school authorities had raised objections to the camp on the premises, but said the CRPF was allowed there only after the issue was discussed with them.