Education Under Attack 2018 - India

Explosives, arson, and use by the military damaged or destroyed more than 100 schools in India. The highest rates of attacks occurred in 2013 during elections in the country's northeast, and in 2016 in connection with violent protests in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, where approximately 500 secondary school and university students were reportedly injured.

Context

Ongoing political and separatist conflicts triggered unrest in several regions of the country, each resulting in attacks on education.^[888] In 2014, CEDAW noted its concern for the level of violence affecting women in the conflict-affected areas of the country, including rape and other forms of sexual assault.^[889]

Separatist movements and communal conflicts reportedly contributed to violence in the country's northeast.^[890] Abuses affecting education were concentrated in Assam, Manipur, and Meghalaya states. Also in the east of the country but farther south, Naxalite or communist groups continued to fight the government, affecting education.^[891]

Conflict in Jammu and Kashmir state in northern India, which began when the Indian sub-continent was partitioned into India and Pakistan in 1947, continued throughout the reporting period. Tensions heightened after a Hizb-ul-Mujahedeen leader and two other militants were killed during a clash with government forces in July 2016. Conflict closed the state's schools for eight months that school year.^[892] Violence flared again in Jammu and Kashmir in April and May 2017, with student demonstrations against Indian police closing schools and universities in the state.^[893]

In the higher education sector, rising tensions between student political groups led to increased violence directed at academics and students, including those associated with minority groups and those viewed as political opponents.^[894]

The frequency of attacks on schools remained similar to the 2009 to 2013 reporting period covered by Education under Attack 2014, as did attacks on students, teachers, and other education personnel. The attacks also occurred in the same regions. Reported instances of military use of schools appeared to decline, while attacks at the higher education level appeared to occur slightly more frequently.

Attacks on schools

Attacks on schools occurred across all conflict-affected regions of India during the current reporting period, but the majority took place between 2013 and 2015 in the northeastern and eastern states. According to media reports compiled by GCPEA, approximately 100 attacks on schools took place, a rate similar to that documented in Education under Attack 2014. In July 2014, the CRC expressed concern over continued attacks on schools by nonstate armed groups.^[895] In 2016, the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir also saw a marked increase of attacks on schools linked to violent protests. The majority of attacks on schools occurred at night and did not cause casualties.

In 2013 there were media reports of at least 26 attacks on school infrastructure in India, taking a range of forms from explosives to arson. The majority of these attacks (21) occurred in India's northeastern states of Manipur and Assam, including 11 attacks during elections. There were also five attacks on schools in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh, according to the media sources. Maoist groups claimed responsibility for or were suspected of being behind the attacks in Bihar and Jharkhand. The perpetrators of the attacks in Odisha and Uttar Pradesh were unidentified.^[896] Examples of reported attacks on schools in 2013 included the following:

• Between January 25 and 27, 2013, three explosive devices targeted Raja Dumbra Singh High School and Khonghampat High School, both in Manipur state, and Jaleshwar High School in Assam state. The Coordination Committee, an umbrella organization comprised of several non-state groups fighting against the state, claimed responsibility for the first attack, while officials suspected that the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) was responsible for the second attack. No group claimed responsibility for the third attack. All three explosions were thought to have been intended to disrupt Republic Day celebrations.^[897]

• The next month, on February 10, 2013, at least 11 schools were partially or fully burned down in Assam state, due to polling violence, according to media reports.^[898]

• On June 15, 2013, suspected Naxalites blew up a middle school in Bhulsumia village in Jamui district, Bihar state.^[899]

• An explosive device went off at Ayatpur High School in Ayatpur city, Odisha state, on July 1, 2013, reportedly injuring at least 19 students.^[900]

• Authorities disabled another explosive device at the government middle school for boys in Katlang village, also in Odisha state, on September 11, 2013.^[901]

• On December 3, 2013, the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-M) claimed responsibility for blowing up a school that was under construction in Kurumgarh village, Jharkhand state, reportedly to prevent police from using the building. They left behind a note that stated, "Destroy police camp."902

• In Uttar Pradesh, unidentified assailants threw an explosive device at an educational institution serving a minority group on December 5, 2013.^[903]

Attacks on schools appeared to decline across conflict-affected areas in India in 2014, with the media reporting at least three incidents, including the following:

• The United Revolutionary Front reportedly claimed one school bombing that occurred in the insurgency-affected area of Manipur state in northeast India, when an explosive device detonated at a primary school located near the home of the Minister of Health and Family Welfare on April 12, 2014.^[904]

• Maoist groups blew up two schools in Jharkhand state: one in Bokaro district on April 17, 2014, and one in Latehar district on August 16, 2014. The latter school had reportedly been demolished previously and then reconstructed before being blown up a second time.^[905]

At least 12 attacks on schools took place during 2015, according to media reports. Four incidents occurred in connection with the insurgency in India's northeast (three in Manipur and one in Meghalaya states), four schools in the Maoist-affected areas of Bihar and Jharkhand states experienced explosive attacks, and four incidents affected schools in West Bengal state.^[906] For example:

• MM Higher Secondary School in Imphal city, the capital of Manipur state, was reportedly targeted twice, once on March 8, 2015, when a grenade exploded outside the school, and once on June 26, 2015, when a bomb was safely defused.^[907]

• On March 9, 2015, six gunmen suspected to be part of the Garo National Army opened fire on a school in Rabhagre village in West Garo Hills district, Meghalaya.^[908]

• An attack at God Church School in Dum Dum Cantonment of Calcutta, West Bengal, injured one student on June 15, 2015.^[909]

• On August 15, 2015, two explosives thrown at a school in Nawada town in Bihar state reportedly injured two female students.^[910]

• In Jharkhand state, the CPI-M left a pamphlet at a school in Serendag village, Latehar district, after detonating explosives there on November 10, 2015. The pamphlet warned against allowing security forces to use school facilities and demanded that security forces vacate any schools in the district that they were currently using.^[911]

The rate of attacks on schools in India rose sharply in 2016. GCPEA identified media reports of 58 attacks on schools that year. The majority of these incidents took place in Jammu and Kashmir state, but schools were also attacked in at least 9 other Indian states.^[912] In Jammu and Kashmir state, unidentified assailants burned scores of schools. These attacks occurred against a backdrop of violent protests. According to Human Rights Watch, at least 32 schools were set on fire between August and the end of the year.^[913] In response, the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir directed government officials to take the necessary measures to protect them.^[914] Schools across the state were closed from July 2016, to March 2017.^[915] Examples of attacks on schools elsewhere in the country included the following:

• On March 29, 2016, a bomb exploded at Kaliahudi Primary School in Dhurudiamba, Keonjhar district, in Odisha state, injuring one child. There was no claim of responsibility for the attack.^[916]

• On May 4, 2016, several explosive devices were found at Shankarpur Primary School in Ramnagar, West Bengal state, which was being used as a polling station. The devices were defused, and no group claimed responsibility for planting them.^[917]

• Two more explosive devices were reportedly discovered and defused near a school in Bijapur district, Chhattisgarh state, on May 9, 2016. It was suspected that the attackers were Maoists targeting government soldiers, but it was not clear whether the soldiers were based in or near the school.^[918]

• A gun battle between the Indian army and other armed groups reportedly destroyed the Education Development Institute in Pampore, Jammu and Kashmir, on October 13, 2016.^[919]

• On August 15, 2016, an improvised explosive device reportedly exploded near Indira Gandhi School in Tinsukia district, Assam state.^[920] The United Liberation Front of Assam claimed responsibility for the attack.^[921]

Attacks on schools appeared to slow in 2017, but at least two schools in Jammu and Kashmir state were targeted, and several other attacks by unknown assailants occurred in other areas of the country. For example:

• On January 28, 2017, Times Now reported that unidentified assailants set a school in Kupwara district, Jammu and Kashmir state, on fire, destroying two buildings.^[922]

• According to local media, on March 10, 2017, an unidentified individual threw a bomb into the Sardar Patel Inter College in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh state, injuring two female students.^[923]

• First Post reported that a government school was set on fire in Budgam district, Jammu and Kashmir state, on April 7, 2017. The school was to be used as a polling station.^[924]

• In Jharkhand state, suspected Maoists attacked one school in Khunti district on the night of April 28, 2017, partially destroying it, according to the Indian Express.^[925]

• On April 29, 2017, according to the Hindustan Times, a bomb exploded at a government-run middle school in Patna City, Bihar state, injuring seven students.^[926]

Attacks on school students, teachers, and other education personnel

According to media reports compiled by GCPEA, there were more than 30 cases of abductions, explosive attacks, targeted killings, and violent repression of student protests between 2013 and 2017, which harmed approximately 150 students and education personnel.^[927] Most individual attacks occurred in connection with the insurgency in the northeast and the Maoist conflict in the east. However, the majority of individuals harmed were injured during student protests in Jammu and Kashmir in April and May 2017. Although the protest-related violence meant that more students and educators were reportedly harmed by attacks on education between 2013 and 2017, the documented rates of abduction and targeted killings were slightly lower than those reported in Education under Attack 2014.

Four incidents affected students, teachers, and education personnel during 2013, according to media reports. These included two cases of abduction in Assam state, an attack on a teacher's residence in Manipur state, and an attack on a school leader in Uttar Pradesh state:

• In Assam state, unknown assailants reportedly kidnapped the headmaster of Nambor Middle English School in Golaghat district on March 13, 2013.^[928]

• Later in the year, on December 4, 2013, two armed men attempted to hijack a school van in Sivsagar district of Assam state. When the bus driver fought back, they kidnapped one girl out of the 11 children aboard, reportedly taking her in the direction of Nagaland state.^[929]

• In Manipur state, unidentified attackers threw a grenade at the home of a government school teacher in Imphal East district on September 3, 2013. The explosive failed to detonate.^[930]

• Further south, in Uttar Pradesh state, armed men broke into a school run by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Heera Singh in late December. They burned the school guard to death and kidnapped Singh's daughter.^[931]

There were slightly more attacks on teachers and other education personnel reported during 2014, with media sources documenting nine incidents. Five of these attacks took place in the northeastern states of Manipur and Meghalaya, and four took place in Odisha and Chhattisgarh states, affected by conflict with Naxalite groups. A series of abductions and killings also appeared to target teachers in Meghalaya state during the second half of 2014.^[932] Examples included the following:

• A school supervisor and a librarian were reportedly abducted in Odisha state on January 24, 2014. The police rescued both on January 30, 2014.^[933]

• Another teacher, Moirangthem Jayenta, was attacked in an incident claimed by a splinter faction of the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) (military council) in the northeastern state of Manipur on June 4, 2014. The attackers threw a grenade into the teacher's home. The explosive failed to detonate.^[934]

• On June 30, 2014, assailants suspected to be members of the A'chik Songna An'pachakgipa Kotok (ASAK), a Meghalaya-based armed group, abducted a teacher at the Dalu Higher Secondary School. Police rescued the teacher the following day.^[935]

• Gunmen abducted another teacher from West Garo Hills district on July 26, 2014, after firing on the teacher and a police officer. The kidnappers released the teacher the next day.^[936]

During 2015, media reports indicated that students, teachers, and other school employees continued to be targeted at similar rates as the previous year, primarily through abduction, in India's northeastern states of Assam and Meghalaya. That year saw at least eight attacks on education personnel, according to media reports, including the following:937

• In Assam state, unidentified assailants abducted two teachers: Iqbal Rafique, a teacher at the Tura Christian Girls' School on February 1, 2015, and Basu Upadhyai, a school employee, on March 12, 2015.^[938]

• A third teacher, Prabin Patgiri, was reported injured in Assam state on May 3, 2015, when gunmen opened fire on him.^[939]

• In Meghalaya state, the ASAK claimed responsibility for abducting a retired teacher, Gaganendra Sanyal, on May 9, 2015, and holding him hostage until May 23.^[940]

• Unknown assailants abducted three other teachers in Meghalaya state, including two on June 12, 2015, and a third on September 15.^[941]

• In Bihar state, two suspected Maoist assailants abducted Kamlesh Kumar, a student at the Simultala Residential School, releasing him, with injuries, after four hours. The attackers reportedly demanded that the school be closed.^[942]

News sources reported that education personnel in Meghalaya and Jammu and Kashmir states experienced beatings, threats, and abductions in at least nine incidents in 2016.^[943] These included the following:

• Sengsram Marak, a teacher, was reportedly abducted in Dobakdrop village, Meghalaya state, on February 9, 2016. He was rescued one day later, on February 10. It was not clear who was responsible for the abduction.^[944]

• During the first week of August, unidentified attackers beat Abdul Rashid, the principal of a higher secondary school in Jammu and Kashmir state, critically injuring him.^[945]

• On August 16, 2016, Madison Ch Marak, a teacher in Jinamgre, was reportedly attacked and killed. The Garo National Liberation Army claimed credit for the attack, stating that Marak had been working with government authorities.^[946]

• Also during the first week of August, a petrol bomb was thrown at the home of Naeem Akthar, the Minister of Education for Jammu and Kashmir state.^[947] The minister was again threatened on September 27, 2016, when the Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e-Taiba warned him not to re-open educational institutions in the Kashmir Valley.^[948]

• Sudhir Kumar, a teacher, was wounded when police allegedly used violence during a teacher protest in Punjab state on December 11, 2016. The teachers were demonstrating for more regularized jobs and permanent recruitment.^[949]

On December 8, 2017, unidentified perpetrators killed a pregnant female teacher in Bihar state for unknown reasons, according to a local media source.^[950] However, the majority of attacks on students and education personnel that occurred in 2017 took place in the context of student protests in Jammu and Kashmir state, according to in- formation collected by GCPEA. More than 100 secondary school students were reportedly injured in clashes with the police in April and May 2017, as described in more detail in the higher education section below.^[951] On May 27, 2017, Sameer Ahmad, a 19-year-old class 12 student, was critically injured by a bullet that hit him in the head when police entered the Government Higher Secondary School in Mattan, Anantnag district, and fired bullets into the air.^[952]

Military use of schools

Several human rights bodies, along with the US Department of State, expressed concern over the continued military use of educational institutions and the presence of security forces near schools during the 2013-2017 reporting period, although rates of military use appeared to be lower than in the 2009-2013 period covered in Education under Attack 2014.^[953] The majority of military use occurred in regions of India affected by conflict with Naxalite groups, including Jharkhand, Bihar, and West Bengal states. However, military use of schools was also reported in Jammu and Kashmir state. In several cases, schools that were in use or had recently been used by armed forces were attacked with explosives.^[954] In 2014, CEDAW pointed to reports that military use also contributed to higher dropout rates among girl students.^[955]

Media sources reported that at least one case of military use occurred during 2013. A group of paramilitary soldiers was allegedly inside a school attended by the children of police officers in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir state, when armed men attacked them on March 13, 2013. No children or teachers were inside the school at the time of the attack.^[956]

In 2014, media sources indicated that Indian police used at least four schools in Jharkhand and Bihar states, which provoked attacks by confirmed or suspected Maoist groups around the time of Lok Sabha, or parliamentary, elections:

• On March 21, 2014, the CPI-M claimed responsibility for blowing up the Giridih School in Naukania district of Jharkhand state, which was being used by the Central Reserve Police Force. The group left pamphlets urging people to boycott the elections.^[957]

• On April 10, 20, and 28, 2014, suspected Maoists reportedly detonated explosive devices in three schools in the Lakhisarai and Jamui districts of Bihar state. Indian police had been based in the first two schools to guard polling during the Lok Sabha elections, and in the third school to carry out military operations.^[958]

In 2015, at least one school was blown up while being used as a police camp in West Bengal state, according to a media report. On January 10, 2015, unidentified attackers threw explosive devices into a school in Palsa village, injuring one police officer.^[959]

Several media outlets published reports of military use of schools in Jammu and Kashmir state during protests that occurred in response to the killing of the Hizb-ul-Mujahedin leader on July 8, 2016. In September, Quartz India reported use of schools by at least 20 paramilitary groups in the state, including Sri Pratap Higher Secondary School.^[960] NDTV reported in October that security forces were occupying dozens of schools, and the Kashmir Monitor stated around the same time that the Indian police were using seven schools in Srinagar.^[961]

In 2017, several schools in Imphal West district of Manipur state were re-opened after having been closed since December 2016. The Manipur Commission for Protection of Child Rights found that security forces used at least two schools – Lilasing Khongnangkhong High School and N Tomchou Singh Higher Secondary School – during that time and asked the troops to leave the schools.^[962]

Sexual violence by armed parties at, or en route to or from, school or university

Between 2013 and 2017, at least two reported cases of sexual violence was committed against female students. A Christian media source reported that on July 14, 2013, in the state of Jharkhand, masked men abducted four girls from their Christian school's dormitory and raped them before releasing them.^[963] The motive for the attack was unclear. In addition, Amnesty International reported that police allegedly assaulted female university stu- dents who were protesting a lack of investigation into the suicide of Dalit PhD Student Rohith Vemula, as described in more detail in the section on attacks on higher education.^[964]

Attacks on higher education

Attacks on higher education from 2013 to 2017 included explosives targeting university campuses and personnel, as well as abductions of professors. Beginning in 2016, attacks on higher education were increasingly common, as communal tensions fueled by different political parties appeared to contribute to several incidents of violent attacks, protests, or repression that took place during university lectures or elsewhere on campus. Violence also escalated in Jammu and Kashmir state. More than 100 students and 100 education personnel were harmed, the majority during protests in Jasmmu and Kashmir state in April 2017. Attacks on higher education appeared to occur with slightly greater frequency than during the 2009-2013 period covered in Education under Attack 2014.

There were at least two attacks on higher education in 2013, according to media reports:

• On July 16, 2013, unidentified attackers set off an explosive device at the home of the director of the Regional Institute of Medical Science and Hospital in the Imphal West district of Manipur state.^[965]

• On December 6, 2016, a bomb exploded at Annie Besant Intercollege in Uttar Pradesh state, injuring a 5-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl.^[966]

According to media sources, at least four attacks targeted higher education in 2014, three in the northeastern states of Manipur and Assam, and one in the Maoist-affected state of Jharkhand:

• On April 7, 2014, unidentified assailants threw a hand grenade at the home of the director of the National Institute of Technology in Bishnupur district, Manipur state.^[967]

• A second attack in Manipur state targeted Manipur University. On July 12, 2014, an explosive device detonated near the university, wounding seven people.^[968]

• On July 29, 2014, a college principal was abducted, reportedly by the Rabha National Security Force, an armed group affiliated with the Rabha tribal community. He was freed in a police force operation two days later.^[969]

• In Jharkhand state, gunmen abducted the chairman of Nilai Institute of Technology on August 4, 2014.^[970]

During 2015, there were media reports of at least five attacks on universities and academics in the northeastern states of Manipur and Nagaland. One additional attack, in Karnataka state, appeared to be linked to religious intolerance. For example:

• One bomb exploded near Manipur University on April 22, 2015, injuring at least three people, including university lecturers.^[971]

• A second explosive device was found and defused in Imphal district on May 21, 2015, at the National Institute of Technology.^[972]

• On August 7, 2015, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang claimed responsibility for an assault on the principal of the Kheloshe Polytechnic Atoizu, an engineering school. The group attacked and extorted the principal.^[973]

• On August 15, 2015, unidentified attackers shot and killed Madivalappa Kalburgi, a literary scholar at Kannada University. The professor had been critical of particular religious groups and had publicly criticized "idol worship" and superstition.^[974]

Media reports indicated that attacks on higher education became slightly more common in 2016 than in 2015. Incidents included at least four explosive attacks at universities, and the arrest or attack of professors or students in at least nine incidents for reasons related to their academic work or their alleged use of antinationalist rhetoric.^[975] For example:

• On January 27, 2016, news sources reported that police detained approximately 100 students from universities across Delhi who were marching in protest after Rohith Vemula, 26-year-old Dalit doctoral student at the University of Hyderabad, committed suicide. The ABVP had accused Vemula of violence against other students in 2016.^[976] On March 22, 2016, police allegedly used force on University of Hyderabad students and faculty who were protesting the lack of investigation into Vemula's death. Amnesty International reported that the police assaulted the protesting students, including by using sexual violence against female students.^[977]

• Media sources reported that Professor Vivek Kumar from Jawaharlal Nehru University was attacked during clashes that broke out between Akhil Bharatiya Janta Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of the BJP party, and Ambedkar Vichar Manch, a Dalit network, at a symposium on Indian society that the professor held on February 21, 2016.^[978]

• According to the Scholars at Risk Network, Kanhaiya Kumar, head of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student union, was arrested on February 12, 2016, in New Delhi for allegedly using anti-Indian slogans during protests, after the university had withdrawn permission for a student event marking the government execution of a Kashmiri activist in 2013.^[979] Two other students, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, were later arrested and charged with sedition on February 23, 2016, for the same reason as Kumar.^[980] Kumar and Khalid were released on bail in March 2016. The two remained under threat, however, and on April 17, police found a note elaborating a plan to kill them. The note and a gun were found in a bag on a bus that was headed to the JNU campus.^[981] A group of approximately 100 people reportedly affiliated with right-wing groups later assaulted Kumar during a rally organized by two left-wing student organizations in August 2017.^[982]

• In Mysore, a University of Mysore communications and journalism professor was arrested on June 16, 2016, after giving a speech on campus that allegedly insulted the Hindu community, according to Scholars at Risk.^[983]

• According to local media, a bomb exploded at the gate of Manipur University on August 10, 2016. This was the third such incident within three years at the same university.^[984]

• On November 3, 2016, unknown attackers threw a petrol bomb at Sri Pratap College in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir state, according to news reports.^[985]

During 2017, there were 10 incidents of violence and arrests affecting higher education that related to Hindu nationalism or occurred in connection with student protests of university or state policies.^[986] In general, these incidents caused more harm than those in previous years, and were largely related to student protests in Jammu and Kashmir state. Incidents related to Hindu nationalism or to protests over policy included the following:

• The Hinduistan Times reported that police arrested several students demonstrating on the first anniversary of Rohith Vemula's death on January 17, 2017, along with Vemula's mother, Radhika Vemula.^[987]

• On February 21, 2017, the Hindu nationalist student organization Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) (All India Student Council), affiliated with the Hindu nationalist organization Rashtirya Sevak Sangh, protested a talk given at Ramjas College in Delhi by Umar Khalid, who had been arrested the year before, and Shehla Rashid, another student who had been arrested at JNU in 2016. The protest turned violent, with ABVP students reportedly breaking the windows of the conference room where the event was to be held and throwing rocks at other students. The college cancelled the talk, and a march protesting the cancellation led to violent clashes between student groups. Police allegedly used excessive force in responding to the violence, injuring at least 20 students.^[988]

• Scholars at Risk reported that on April 11, 2017, 52 students from Panjab University were arrested and charged with sedition after a clash with police officers that occurred while they were protesting an increase in tuition fees. Police allegedly used water cannons, teargas, and batons to prevent the students from reaching the vice chancellor's office. Students reportedly responded by throwing stones. The clashes injured students, journalists, and police officers.^[989]

• Eight Lucknow University students were reportedly arrested on June 7, 2017, after they participated in a peaceful demonstration against the allocation of university funds. After students surrounded the motorcade of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, a state official who was visiting the university, police allegedly responded with force. The charges against the students included unlawful assembly, rioting, assault or criminal force against a public servant, and criminal intimidation. They were denied bail on June 10 and kept in judicial custody until June 24.^[990]

• A female student, B. Valarmathi, was also reportedly arrested at Periyar University in Salem, Tamil Nadu state, on July 12, 2017, after she distributed pamphlets encouraging student opposition to government energy projects. Valarmathi was detained for six days before being charged with instigating others to disturb the public order, according to Scholars at Risk.^[991]

• On September 23, 2017, police allegedly wounded several students, mostly female, at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) as they tried to enter the residence of the university's vice chancellor during a protest of the alleged sexual harassment of one of their classmates. According to the students, police used lathis (a kind of marital arts stick) against the protesters, pulled their hair, and dragged them away.^[992] Varanasi police reportedly charged some 1,200 BHU students, mostly female, with arson and other crimes.^[993] The vice chancellor was accused of mishandling the event and placed on indefinite leave, the head of campus security resigned, seven women were appointed as security guards, and the National Commission for Women initiated an investigation.^[994]

Tensions in Jammu and Kashmir state also affected higher education during 2017, with clashes occurring between both university and secondary school students and police, as mentioned above. University World News reported that some sources estimated that a total of 500 students were injured.^[995] Many schools and colleges were reportedly closed for up to one month.^[996] Incidents included the following:

• Violence began in mid-April, after two Indian security force vehicles entered the campus of Pulwama Government Degree College. Students threw rocks, and security forces responded with pellets and teargas, reportedly wounding at least 54 students.^[997]

• Two days later, violence spread to Baramulla and Sopore towns in north Jammu and Kashmir state, Anantnag and Tral in south Jammu and Kashmir, and Srinagar in central Jammu and Kashmir, with at least 70 more secondary school and university students injured on April 17, 2017.^[998] Local media reported that government forces responded to student protestors at the SP Higher Secondary School in Srinagar with teargas and water cannons in an effort to prevent them from marching in the streets. At least two students sustained brain injuries.^[999]

• Colleges across the region were closed for five days, but when they re-opened on April 24, 2017, students marched in protest once more, clashing with police who again used water cannons, teargas, and pellets. At least 14 college and secondary school students in Pulwama and Shopian were injured.^[1000]

• Protests continued through May 18, 2017, when pellets and teargas shells were fired at protesters during clashes between students from the Government Degree College in Kulgam district and police, reportedly injuring 14 people, mostly students. The students were protesting the detention of their colleagues.^[1001]

888 Amnesty International, Annual Report India 2015/2016 (London: Amnesty International, 2016).

889 CEDAW, "Concluding observations on India*," CEDAW/C/IND/CO/4-5, para. 12.

890 Sanjoy Hazarika, "Complexity and conflict in Assam's 'Bodoland'," Al Jazeera, May 10, 2014. Nehginpao Kipgen, "Intricacies of Kuki and Naga Ethnocentrism in Manipur," World Post, March 30, 2013.

891 Kamal Kumar, "Analysis: India's Maoist challenge," Al Jazeera, August 24, 2013.

892 "A brief history of the Kashmir conflict," Telegraph, September 24, 2001. Human Rights Watch, World Report 2017: India. Mir Ehsan, "Kashmir schools reopening: Govt, Separatists should never use education to fulfil their agendas," Indian Express, March 2, 2017.

893 Tommy Wilkes and Fayaz Bukhari, "Kashmir Unrest Enters 'Dangerous New Phase' as Protests Threaten India's Grip," Time, May 10, 2017.

894 See, for example, Neeta Lal, "Student Activism Rears Its Head in India," Diplomat, March 7, 2017. Amy Kazmin, "Tensions flare in India over student leader's arrest," Financial Times, February 18, 2016. Saikat Majumdar and Prakash Shah, "The battle for the Indian mind," Times Higher Education, May 5, 2016.

895 CRC, "Concluding observations on the combined third and fourth periodic reports of India," CRC/C/IND/CO/3-4, July 7, 2015, para. 73. CRC, "Concluding observations on the report submitted by India under article 8, paragraph 1, of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict," CRC/C/OPAC/IND/CO/1, July 7, 2014, para. 28.

896 A full list of references can be found on GCPEA's website, http://www.protectingeducation.org/education-under-attack-2018-references.

897 "Blasts rock Imphal on R-Day eve," Telegraph, January 25, 2013. "Triple blasts rock Imphal on R-Day eve," Times of India, January 26, 2013. "Assam: Serial IED blasts rock Goalpara, Dhubri," Daily Bhaskar, January 27, 2013. "8 IED blasts rock Assam's Goalpara, Dhubri districts on Republic Day, no casualty," India Today, January 27, 2013. "Serial blasts rock lower Assam," Meghalaya Times, January 26, 2013. "After serial blasts on Republic Day, IED recovered," Times of India, January 28, 2013. "IED exploded at 3rd IRD gate," Imphal Free Press (India), January 27, 2013.

898 "Poll protests rock Rabha Hasong areas," Assam Tribune, February 11, 2013. Hemanta Kumar Nath, "Militants Set Ablaze Five Schools in Goalpara," NewsBlaze, February 12, 2013.

899 "Naxals grow bolder, blow up school in Bihar," Rediff News, June 15, 2013. Indo-Asian News Service, "Maoists blow up school in Bihar," First Post, June 15, 2013.

900 Press Trust of India, "19 students injured as bomb explodes in classroom," Economic Times, July 1, 2013. "Bomb slips off boy's bag in classroom, blast injures 24 students," India Today, July 2, 2013.

901 Muhammad Ayub, "Prompt response: Bomb targeting school defused," Express Tribune, September 11, 2013.

902 K. A. Guptal, "Maoists blow up two buildings of school under construction," Times of India, December 5, 2013. "Maoists blow up school," Telegraph India, December 5, 2013.

903 "Crude Bomb Explosion Creates Panic in City," Hindustan Times, December 6, 2013.

904 Iboyaima Laithangbam, "Blast near Manipur Minister's house," Hindu, April 14, 2014. "India: Militant Group Claims Responsibility for Bomb Blast Near Minister's House in Manipur," Sangai Express Online, April 14, 2014," as cited in START, GTD 201404120035.

905 "Maoists blast railway track, school in Jharkhand," Business Standard, April 17, 2014. IndoAsian News Service, "Four troopers injured in Jharkhand Maoist attack," Business Standard, April 17, 2014. "Maoists demolish school building in red corridor of Jharkhand," Times of India, August 16, 2014.

906 A full list of references can be found on GCPEA's website, http://www.protectingeducation.org/education-under-attack-2018-references.

907 "IED found planted," Sangai Express, June 27, 2015. "IED explodes inside Governor Road building," Kangla Online, June 26, 2015.

908 "Garo rebels kill 4 cops in Meghalaya," Times of India, March 11, 2015;""Militants exchange fire with police," Assam Tribune, March 9, 2015," as cited in START, GTD, 201503090026.

909 Mugdha Variyar, "Kolkata: Blast in School at Dum Dum Cantonment; 'Ball-like Object' Exploded," International Business Times, June 20, 2015.

910 S. B. Sinhal, "Two Nawada schoolgirls hurt in blast on I-Day," Times of India, August 16, 2015.

911 "VIDEO: Maoists blow up school building in Latehar," Asia News International, October 12, 2015. "Maoists blow up Jharkhand school building," Times of India, October 11, 2015. "Maoists blow up school," Telegraph India, October 11, 2015.

912 A full list of references can be found on GCPEA's website, http://www.protectingeducation.org/education-under-attack-2018-references.

913 Human Rights Watch, World Report 2017, India chapter.

914 Fayaz Wani, "After burning of 27 schools, J-K High Court asks government to ensure safety of schools in valley," New Indian Express, October 31, 2016.

915 Ehsan, "Kashmir schools reopening."

916 "Minor injured in crude bomb explosion in Odisha," Odisha Sun Times, March 29, 2016.

917 Saugar Sengupta, "2 bags full of bombs found in Ramnagar," Pioneer (India), May 5, 2016.

918 "District Reserve Guard Jawan killed in IED blast," Times of India, May 10, 2016.

919 M. Saleem Pandit, "Terror groups destroy Kashmir schools in Taliban-type offensive," Times of India, October 27, 2016. Ashraf Wani, "Pampore attack: As EDI building goes up in flames, so does the future of youths," India Today, October 13, 2016. Mir Ehsan, "Pampore complex encounter: Institute under attack is Valley success story," Indian Express, October 18, 2016.

920 "Serial explosions rock Assam, no casualty," Indian Express, August 15, 2016.

921 Avik Chakraborty, "School students held for blasts," Telegraph, August 17, 2016. "Independence Day blasts: Two teenagers picked up for planting bombs," Indian Express, August 17, 2016.

922 "School Burnt Down in Kupwara By Unidentified Miscreants," Times Now, January 28, 2017.

923 "Bomb explodes in Kanpur school, two minor girls hurt," New Indian Express, March 10, 2017.

924 Press Trust of India, "Violence in Valley ahead of Srinagar by poll: Miscreants attack polling staff, stations in Kashmir," First Post, April 8, 2017.

925 "Jharkhand: 'Maoists' try to blow up school building," Indian Express, April 30, 2017.

926 Avinash Kumar, "Seven kids hurt in crude bomb blast at Urdu school in Patna," Hindustan Times, April 29, 2017.

927 A full list of references can be found on GCPEA's website, http://www.protectingeducation.org/education-under-attack-2018-references.

928 "Golaghat teacher abducted," Times of India, March 15, 2013.

929 "Gunmen hijack school van with student in Assam," Times of India, December 5, 2013. "Two gunmen kidnap schoolgirl in Assam," Times of India, December 5, 2013. Sushanta Talukdar, "Abducted girl offered herself as hostage to save schoolmates," Hindu, December 6, 2013.

930 "Bomb explodes Khudengthabi," Sangai Express, September 5, 2013.

931 Press Trust of India, "Mathura: BJP leader's minor daughter abducted, watchman burnt to death," NDTV, December 29, 2013. "UP: BJP Leader's Child Abducted, Watchman Burnt to Death," Outlook India, December 28, 2013. "BJP leader's minor daughter abducted, watchman burnt to death," Deccan Herald, December 28, 2013.

932 A full list of references can be found on GCPEA's website, http://www.protectingeducation.org/education-under-attack-2018-references.

933 Satyanarayan Pattnaik, "Two Koraput school staffers kidnapped," Times of India, January 26, 2014. "Abducted K'put school employees rescued; 4 held," Daily Pioneer, February 1, 2014. Satyanarayan Pattnaik, "Two abducted in K'put: Cops rule out Maoist hand," Daily Pioneer, January 26, 2014.

934 "Unidentified Gunmen attacks social activist in Manipur," South Asian Terrorism Portal, June 7, 2014," as cited in START, GTD, 201406040048. Sangai Express, "Miscreants explode grenade," E Pao, June 4, 2014.

935 Press Trust of India, "Teacher, businessman abducted in Meghalaya," Business Standard, June 30, 2014. "Two persons abducted in separate incidents in Meghalaya," South Asian Terrorism Portal, July 1, 2014. Biplab Kr Dey, "Abducted teacher rescued in Garo Hills," Assam Tribune, July 2, 2014.

936 "Abducted teacher released," Telegraph India, July 28, 2014. Saidul Khan, "Bid to end border turbulence," Telegraph India, July 27, 2014. Press Trust of India, "Constable seriously injured, friend abducted," Business Standard, July 26, 2014.

937 A full list of references can be found on GCPEA's website, http://www.protectingeducation.org/education-under-attack-2018-references.

938 "Abducted teacher gives moral lessons to kidnappers," Shillong Times, February 9, 2015;"Saidul Khan, "Tura schoolteacher abducted in Assam," Telegraph India, February 2, 2015;""NLFT and Bru militants abduct two BRTF workers in Mizoram," South Asian Terrorism Portal, February 3, 2015," as cited in START, GTD, 201502010128. "Grenade attack in Meghalaya," South Asian Terrorism Portal, March 14, 2015," as cited in START, GTD, 201503120040.

939 "Unidentified gunmen shot dead civilian in Jammu and Kashmir," South Asian Terrorism Portal, May 5, 2015," as cited in START, GTD, 201505030065. "Teacher shot at," Telegraph India, May 4, 2015.

940 "Kidnapped teacher released after two weeks," Assam Tribune, May 24, 2015. Saidul Khan, "Released," Telegraph India, May 23, 2015. "Sanyal kidnappers nabbed in Assam," Meghalaya Times, May 27, 2015.

941 "Eight civilians abducted in Meghalaya in two separate incidents," South Asian Terrorism Portal, June 15, 2015," as cited in START, GTD, 201506120079. "Five civilians abducted in separate incidents in Meghalaya," South Asian Terrorism Portal, September 17, 2015," as cited in START, GTD, 201509160094.

942 Press Trust of India, "Naxals kidnap school boy from hostel, release him later," Rediff News, July 9, 2015. Amarnath Tewary, "Maoists abduct student, ask school to close down," Hindu, July 10, 2015.

943 A full list of references can be found on GCPEA's website, http://www.protectingeducation.org/education-under-attack-2018-references.

944 Press Trust of India, "Kidnapped school teacher rescued," Free Press Journal, February 10, 2016.

945 Pandit, "Terror groups destroy."

946 "Imambargah trustee shot dead, son critically injured in suspected sectarian attack in Karachi," South Asian Terrorism Portal, October 8, 2016;""Three BSF personnel injured in militant attack in Jammu and Kashmir," South Asian Terrorism Portal, August 20, 2016," as cited in START, GTD 201608160037.

947 Mir Ehsan, "Petrol bombs hurled at J&K Education Minister Naem Akthar's house," Indian Express, August 3, 2016.

948 Pandit, "Terror groups destroy."

949 Express News Service, "Bathinda: EGS teachers protest, cops resort to 'mild' lathi-charge," Indian Express, December 11, 2016.

950 "Woman teacher shot dead in Bihar," United News of India, December 8, 2017.

951 "Kashmir students, India police clash in Srinagar," Al Jazeera, April 24, 2017. "Kashmir unrest: Protesting students clash with police," Al Jazeera, April 17, 2017. Ipsita Chakravarty and Rayan Naqash, "Why Kashmir's students are facing off against the security forces," Sabrang India, April 20, 2017.

952 "Excessive force against students in Kashmir school," Amnesty International, June 8, 2017.

953 Human Rights Watch, World Report 2015, India chapter. Amnesty International, Annual Report 2015: India. CRC, "Concluding observations," CRC/C/IND/CO/3-4, para. 73. CRC, "Concluding observations," CRC/C/OPAC/IND/CO/1, para. 28. US State Department et al., "Country Reports 2014: India," June 25, 2015, p. 19. US State Department et al., "Country Reports 2015: India," p. 18.

954 For example, see "Giridih school blown up," Telegraph, March 22, 2014. Pravin Kumar Mishra, "Maoists blow up school buildings in Jharkhand," Hindustan Times, March 22, 2014. IANS, "Maoists Blow Up School in Bihar," The Hindu, April 22, 2014. Sayantanee Choudhury, "Reds planted 36 bombs in school building," Times of India, April 12, 2014. "Bombs at Parui school," Telegraph India, January 11, 2015.

955 CEDAW, "Concluding observations on the combined fourth and fifth periodic reports of India*," para. 26.

956 "Kashmir militants in deadly attack on Indian security forces," Guardian, March 13, 2013.

957 "Giridih school blown up," Telegraph, March 22, 2014. Pravin Kumar Mishra, "Maoists blow up school buildings in Jharkhand," Hindustan Times, March 22, 2014.

958 IANS, "Maoists Blow Up School in Bihar," New Indian Express, April 21, 2014. Sayantanee Choudhury, "Reds planted 36 bombs in school building," Times of India, April 12, 2014. "Rebels strike in Bihar, two CRPF men killed," Hindustan Times, April 11, 2014. "Three cylinder bombs defused after school blast in Bihar," Oneindia, April 11, 2014. "Maoists blow up school building in Bihar," Business Standard, April 28, 2014. Kashi Prasad, "Maoists damage school building in Jamui," Times of India, April 22, 2014. "Maoists Blow Up School Building in Bihar," Hindustan Times, April 21, 2014.

959 "Bombs at Parui school," Telegraph India, January 11, 2015.

960 Moazum Bhat, "Kashmir's schools are being mysteriously burnt down and nobody seems to care about the students," Quartz India, November 15, 2016.

961 All India and Veer Arjun Singh, "3 Schools Set On Fire In Last 24 Hours In Jammu and Kashmir," NDTV, October 30, 2016. Nisar Dharma, "Govt adamant on exams; 4 schools burnt in last 4 days," Kashmir Monitor, October 25, 2016.

962 "Security personnel vacate educational institutes after intervention by Commission," webindia123, February 14, 2017.

963 "India: Four girls abducted from a Christian school and gang raped," Vatican Insider, July 20, 2013, as cited in GCPEA, Education under Attack 2014, p. 142.

964 Amnesty International, "Hyderabad: Students And Faculty Arrested For Peaceful Protests Must Be Released," Amnesty International news update, March 25, 2016.

965 Iboyaima Laithangbam, "Bomb blast at Imphal RIMS director's house," Hindu, July 16, 2013. "Explosion In Medical Institute Complex," Shillong Times, July 18, 2013. Press Trust of India, "Explosion in medical institute complex, no casualty," Economic Times, July 17, 2013.

966 "Blast on College Campus Leaves 2 Children Injured," Hindustan Times, December 6, 2013.

967 "Hand grenade attacks in Manipur," South Asian Terrorism Portal, April 8, 2014," as cited in START, GTD 201404060060. "Bomb blast at NIT director's house," Kangla Online, April 6, 2014. "Insurgents target NIT Director's residence in Manipur," Business Standard, April 12, 2014.

968 AP, "Crude bomb blast wounds 6 in India; 4 men abducted," National (UAE), July 12, 2014. Press Trust of India, "Militants trigger bomb blast in Manipur, 7 injured," Indian Express, July 12, 2014. "Blast Near Manipur University in Imphal, Six Injured," NDTV, July 12, 2014.

969 Press Trust of India, "Abducted college principal rescued," Business Standard, July 31, 2014.

970 "5 days on, abducted chairman untraceable," Times of India, August 9, 2014.

971 "Blast rocks MU gate, 3 hurt," Sangai Express, April 23, 2015. "Five civilians injured as powerful IED explodes near MU gate," Kangla Online, April 22, 2015.

972 "Grenade at NIT gate," Sangai Express, May 21, 2015.

973 "Polytechnic Principal of Nagaland assaulted by suspected rebel cadres," United News of India, August 11, 2015.

974 Scholars at Risk Network, Academic Freedom Monitor, Kannada University, August 30, 2015. Charles Huckabee, "Indian Scholar Who Criticized Idolatry Is Killed by Gunmen in His Home," Chronicle of Higher Education, August 30, 2015. Vicky Nanjappa, "Professor MM Kalburgi shot dead in Dharwad, Karnataka," Oneindia, August 30, 2015.

975 A full list of references can be found on GCPEA's website, http://www.protectingeducation.org/education-under-attack-2018-references.

976 All India/Press Trust of India, "Rohith Vemula Suicide: Protests In Delhi, 100 Students Detained," NDTV, January 27, 2016. Amnesty International, "Hyderabad: Students And Faculty Arrested For Peaceful Protests Must Be Released," Amnesty International news update, March 25, 2016.

977 Amnesty International, "Hyderabad: Students And Faculty Arrested For Peaceful Protests Must Be Released," Amnesty International news update, March 25, 2016.

978 "JNU professor attacked by protesters from BJP youth wing in Gwalior," Scroll.in, February 21, 2016.

979 Scholars at Risk Network, Academic Freedom Monitor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, February 12, 2016.

980 Scholars at Risk Network, Academic Freedom Monitor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, February 23, 2016.

981 Scholars at Risk Network, Academic Freedom Monitor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, April 17, 2016.

982 Scholars at Risk Network, Academic Freedom Monitor, Unaffiliated, August 9, 2017.

983 Scholars at Risk Network, Academic Freedom Monitor, University of Mysore, June 16, 2016.

984 "Manipur: Bomb blast at the entrance of Manipur University in Imphal," India.com, August 10, 2016.

985 Shuja-ul-Haq, "After 30 schools, oldest Valley college becomes arson target in Srinagar," India Today, November 4, 2016. M. Saleem Pandit, "Arsonists again at work in J&K, partially damage school, college," Times of India, November 4, 2016. "Day 118: SP College attacked with petrol bomb, another school set on fire in Naidkhai; shutdown continues in Valley," J and KHeadlines, November 3, 2016.

986 A full list of references can be found on GCPEA's website, http://www.protectingeducation.org/education-under-attack-2018-references.

987 "Rohith Vemula's mother, students arrested as protest rocks Hyderabad varsity," Hindustan Times, January 17, 2017.

988 "Ramjas College protests: Three policemen suspended, Delhi Police ask people to submit evidence," Scroll.in, February 23, 2017. Scholars at Risk Network, Academic Freedom Monitor, Ramjas College University, February 21, 2017. Showkat Shafi, "Nationalist group ABVP accused of Delhi campus violence," Al Jazeera, February 27, 2017.

989 Scholars at Risk, Academic Freedom Monitor, Panjab University, April 11, 2017.

990 Scholars at Risk, Academic Freedom Monitor, Lucknow University, June 7, 2017. "Urgent Action: University Students Arrested After Protest," Amnesty International, June 16, 2017.

991 Scholars at Risk, Academic Freedom Monitor, Periyar University, July 12, 2017.

992 "BHU Molestation: Police Allegedly Thrash Female Students Demanding A Safe Campus, Protest Spreads To Delhi," Huffington Post, September 24, 2017. Sudhir Kumar and Binayak Dasgupta, "BHU tense, breaks early for Dussehra after police crackdown on students," Hindustan Times, September 24, 2017. Rachael Pells, "Indian students charged as antiharassment protest turns violent," Times Higher Education, October 4, 2017. Scholars at Risk Network, Academic Freedom Monitor, Banaras Hindu University, September 23, 2017, September 11, 2017.

993 Pavitra Crossette, "1,200 women students charged over harassment protest," University World News, September 30, 2017.

994 Michael Safi, "India's female students say 'to hell with it, we won't stand for molesting and Eve-teasing,'" Guardian, October 7, 2017. "Female security guards take charge at Banaras Hindu University," Hindustan Times, October 4, 2017. Sudhir Kumar, "Women's commission begins probe into BHU violence, molestation," Hindustan Times, October 5, 2017.

995 Haroon Mirani, "Student vs army clashes paralyse Kashmir campuses," University World News, June 2, 2017.

996 Mirani, "Student vs army clashes."

997 "Kashmir: Teen shot dead; 54 students wounded in clashes," Al Jazeera, April 16, 2017. Haroon Mirani, "Student vs army clashes paralyse Kashmir campuses," University World News, June 2, 2017.

998 Chakravarty and Naqash, "Why Kashmir's students are facing off."

999 Chakravarty and Naqash, "Why Kashmir's students are facing off."

1000 Ubeer Naqushbandi, "Protests continue in Kashmir, 14 students, 2 policemen injured," Indian Express, April 27, 2017.

1001 Ashiq Hussain, "Kashmir: 18 injured in grenade attack, student agitation as violence rages on," Hindustan Times, May 18, 2017.