JNV Jhansi-JNV Rajouri student exchange programme ends abruptly

Srinagar: In a shocking turn of events, the student exchange programme between Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) of Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi and JNV Rajouri came to an abrupt end month ahead of schedule due to a charged atmosphere witnessed at JNV Jhansi.

The incident reportedly involved physical altercations between the students, resulting in the cancellation of a year-long integration exchange programme.

A group of students from JNV Rajouri that was on a visit to JNV Jhansi as part of the exchange programme said that they were subjected to physical assaults by the students of the host school and locals.

The incident unfolded after the students from JNV Jhansi, who had visited JNV Rajouri earlier, informed their peers about the heated arguments between the two student groups.

An official said that the visiting students from JNV Rajouri were subsequently sent back to their respective institutes in private vehicles.

In response, the authorities decided to return the students of JNV Jhansi to their parent schools, leading to the abrupt termination of the exchange programme.

According to officials, the situation escalated quickly as the information reached Jhansi following which the students and locals allegedly beat the JNV Rajouri students, all of whom were in the 9th grade and numbered 18.

“These unfortunate events prompted the authorities to intervene and discontinue the student exchange initiative,” the official said.

The JNV Rajouri students alleged that local students in Jhansi surrounded the hostel where they were putting up and raising slogans against them.

“Despite efforts by the school staff to protect the students from Rajouri, the protesters demanded that the visitors be handed over to them, and the situation turned violent, even involving stone pelting,” another official said.

In light of the escalating tensions and the safety of students, the school management and JNV Jhansi authorities jointly decided to end the one-year exchange programme, sending all guest students back to Rajouri after just two months.

Despite repeated attempts, Principal JNV Rajouri was not available for his comments on the issue.

However, a school functionary from JNV Rajouri denied allegations of assault and said that there were only heated arguments.

“The students from JNV Jhansi were not comfortable with the weather conditions here, as they had come unprepared. Their eating habits were also different, which may have contributed to their unwillingness to stay for the full programme,” the school functionary said.

He said that the management of JNV Rajouri had formed a committee to investigate the incident and ascertain the reasons behind the visiting students’ insistence on returning to their parent school.

The one-year exchange programme of 30 percent of students in class 9th is linked between JNVs from different linguistic regions and is an important feature of the Samiti to promote national integration.

This scheme provides for the implementation of the ‘Three Language Formula’.

Meanwhile, the J&K Students Association (JKSA) has taken up the issue of assault on 18 Kashmiri students in Jhansi with the office of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.

The National Convenor of JKS, Nasir Khuehami has spoken to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister’s Advisor, Awanish Awasthi, and urged him for urgent intervention.

“Awanish Awasthi has assured all cooperation from the CM’s office and said that they would look into the matter and strict action would be taken against all those found intimidating Kashmiri students,” Khuehami said in a statement.