In riot-hit Delhi, students hope for a history better than violence, riots

Class 12 students, who wrote their history paper on Tuesday (March 3) in riot-affected northeast Delhi, hoped “better things” would be written in the national capital’s history than violence. Students also reflected how disturbing were the events last week and how they couldn’t concentrate on studies due to the violence.

Speaking to news agency PTI, a 16-year-old student of Zakir Hussain Memorial School in Jaffrabad said, “The history we learn for exams seems to be irrelevant to me, when the history that is being created now is terrible. I hope for a better history to be written in Delhi and the country, not the one that talks of violence and riots.”

“I will always remember that the year I wrote my class 12 exams, such was the situation in Delhi,” said the student seeking anonymity.

Rupa Devi, who was waiting for her son outside the Government Boys Senior Secondary School in Mustafabad, said, “There is police around but there is such a tensed atmosphere. When I am feeling so scared, I wonder what is the mental state of the students writing the exam.”

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Seema Yadav, a student of the Government Co-Ed Senior Secondary School, New Jaffrabad, said, “It indeed is disturbing that I as well as my friends are not able to concentrate well on studies. But exams are very important for future. We hope when we grow up we are able to contribute to a better, a safer Delhi.”

Outside the examination centres, police and paramilitary personnel were deployed to ensure security. Anxious parents waited at school gates for their wards to return after writing the exam and take them home safely.

CBSE officials said the exam went off peacefully and over 98 per cent students appeared for the exam on Tuesday.

“The Class 12 history exam scheduled for Tuesday went off peacefully across India, foreign centres and Delhi including northeast Delhi. The centres in northeast Delhi recorded 98.33 per cent attendance today. The absentees included mostly private candidates,” a senior CBSE official said.

“The board is making efforts to contact schools to extend help, if any is required, so that they can resume their exam schedule at the earliest,” the official added.

The CBSE had said on Sunday that any further delay in conducting board exams in violence-affected parts of northeast Delhi may hamper students’ chances of securing admission to professional courses like medicine and engineering.

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However, the CBSE said it is ready to conduct fresh exams for students who are not able to appear for board exams as per schedule in view of the violence.

Schools in northeast Delhi are closed till March 7. CBSE board exams were postponed till February 29 but the original schedule was resumed from March 2.

Authorities maintained the death toll remained at 42 in the communal clashes over the amended citizenship law that erupted last week even as five bodies were fished out of drains in northeast Delhi on Sunday.

(With inputs from agencies)