Physical classes resumed on Thursday at four schools in Dhulian, Murshidabad, after nearly two months of suspension because of communal unrest followed by summer vacation.

The schools had remained closed even after the official end of the summer vacation on June 2, as the buildings and the premises were occupied by paramilitary forces deployed in the area to maintain law and order following communal violence in early April.

Three people were killed in the riots, which were triggered by protests against the amended waqf law.

Thousands of students from six institutions — Krishna Kumar Santosh Kumar Smriti Vidyapith, Dhulian High Madrasa, Dhulian Girls’ School, Dhulian Banichand Agarwala Girls’ School, Kanchantala J.D.J. Institution and Dighri High School — had returned home disappointed on June 2, unable to attend a single class after the end of summer vacation.

Teachers, too, had to leave helplessly, with no classrooms or even space to sit, as central force personnel continued to occupy the rooms.

Following a report by The Telegraph in its June 3 edition, the district administration initiated steps to reclaim school campuses.

On Thursday, classroom teaching resumed at Dhulian Girls’ School, Dhulian Banichand Agarwala Girls’ School, Kanchantala J.D.J. Institution and Dighri High School.

Authorities said efforts were underway to resume classes in the remaining two schools — Dhulian High Madrasa and KKS Smriti Vidyapith — as soon as the paramilitary personnel vacated those premises.

Academic activities had been suspended since April 13 at the six schools — well before the summer break officially began on April 30 —because of the outbreak of communal violence in Dhulian town and nearby areas under the jurisdiction of Samserganj police station.

Despite the restoration of normalcy, the presence of security forces on campus meant regular classes remained stalled even after the summer vacation, further derailing academic progress.

Teachers voiced deep concern over the prolonged disruption, fearing its impact on students who relied heavily on classroom instruction and may struggle to complete their syllabi on time.

Sources said the situation escalated during the first week of April when protests against the new Waqf Act spiralled into communal clashes, prompting the Calcutta High Court to order deployment of central forces, including BSF and CRPF. With schools already closed, the district administration allowed the forces to use school buildings for accommodation.

However, even a month after the situation calmed, the forces remained stationed on school campuses as a precautionary measure. When schools reopened in the first week of June, students were disheartened to find that their classrooms were still inaccessible.

This week, through a coordinated effort by the state administration, the central forces vacated four of the affected schools, paving the way for classes to restart.

However, students from Dhulian High Madrasa and KKS Smriti Vidyapith returned home once again on Thursday, disappointed and disheartened.

But students like Mariam Khatun, of Class XII at Dighri High School, were found in an elated mood.

“I came to school after almost two months. I cannot express how happy I am. We are very happy to come to school after two months and start studying. Since I did not come to school for a long time, my studies were not going well at home. I hope that my studies will be better this time,” Marium said.

Anshu Mondal, a student from riot-hit Betbona village in Dhulian, said: “I came to school after almost two months and I feel very happy to be able to start studying. If there is peace in the area, we will not look back. We will move forward, study, and become like human beings.”

Trisita Das, headmistress in charge of Dhulian Banichand Agarwala Girls’ School, said: “The central forces took over our school on April 13. At that time, there was tension in the area, so the school was closed. Then the summer vacation passed, and after almost two months, the school started teaching today. After the summer vacation, we were forced to return. But as the central forces were quickly evacuated from the school because of administrative action, we got back our learning environment.”

In contrast, Monirul Islam, headmaster of Dhulian High Madrasa, expressed distress.

“The CPF still occupies the campus. As a result, we could not resume classes today. We are in great difficulty. I am afraid about the plight of the students because of such delay, as completing the curriculum will not be possible. I will write a letter to the district magistrate, DI, and district superintendent of police again so that the central forces are withdrawn immediately for the sake of students.”

SDO of Jangipur, Ekam J. Singh, acknowledged the concern.

“We are concerned about students and trying our best to solve the problem. We are hopeful that central forces will be withdrawn from all school campuses within a day or two,” said Singh.