By Trideep Lahkar / The Wire
Darogar Alga, Assam: A day after the madrassa he was studying in was demolished by villagers of Darogar Alga char (sand bar) in Goalpara district of Assam, 10-year-old Abdul Hamid and his classmates stare at an uncertain future.
After completing his primary education up to Class 5 at the Darogar Alga Majar Char Lower Primary School, Hamid’s father got him admitted to the local madrassa for learning theology.
“Our madrassa was demolished yesterday. But our teachers had run away a few days ago after the police came looking for them around 20 days back. Since then, no class has taken place,” Hamid told PTI here.
The Assam Police on Tuesday claimed that people have demolished the madrassa and house adjacent to it in protest against the alleged use of its premises for ‘jihadi’ activities.
Hamid said all his classmates had left the seminary for their homes after two teachers, allegedly Bangladeshis, disappeared following the arrest of some persons in connection with alleged jihadi links.
Ismail Mohammed, another student of the madrassa, said he will have to help his father in farming if he cannot join another institute somewhere else.
“My father cannot afford to send me to a high school for studies. I have only two options – either join another madrassa or help my father in farming,” he added.
Hamid’s father, Somesh Ali, said all parents took their children home after the news of terror links were alleged with the two teachers of the madrassa.
“My son was very good at studies. He even made a small machine boat using batteries and small pieces of tin during his school days. I got him admitted in the madrassa about four months back,” Ali said.
Asked why he admitted Hamid to a religious course instead of general studies despite his scientific knack, he said that the village does not have a high school and the boy would have to travel a lot for higher studies.
This story was originally published in thewire.in . Read the full story here