The younger generation has begun to openly voice its problems, which was demonstrated in student protests in two cities: Hamirur (Uttar Pradesh) and Khatima (Uttarakhand).
In Hamirur, children held a five-kilometer march with flags, demanding the construction of a road to the school, and arrived at the college hall. At the same time, students from a residential educational institution in Khatima began a sit-in strike on the school grounds due to issues such as poor nutrition, contaminated water, and dirty toilets.
In both cases, the students addressed their concerns to the administration. In Hamirur, the administration promised to start road construction soon after receiving guarantees. In Khatima, after Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami took note of the matter, an order was issued to suspend the school director.
Residents and schoolchildren from the Gangwa and Bachchi Dera areas in Hamirur district, Uttar Pradesh state, had long suffered from bad roads. Children had to travel through dirt and uneven roads to get to school, and the situation worsened with mud during the rain.
For this reason, the students and rural residents marched with flags and headed to the college hall. Upon arrival, they staged a picket with slogans demanding road construction. The children stated that they have to walk through mud to school every day and insisted that the road to the school be paved to ease their commute.
The protesting students and residents sat at the gates of the college hall, stating they would remain until road construction began. Due to the protest, a large number of police forces were deployed at the college hall complex. Sam and CO Sadar arrived at the scene and took control of the situation. The protesters stood firm, asserting they would not leave until road construction started. Residents and parents also presented the children's problems to the administration, noting that the road to the school had been in poor condition for a long time.
Hamirur administrator, ADM Rakesh Kumar, reported that students from Chandupur village held a demonstration in the college hall, demanding that the uneven and dirt road be paved, and submitted a petition. According to the ADM, permission from the forest department for road construction has been obtained, and work will start soon. He specified that the construction of this road will cost approximately one hundred eighty-one million eight hundred thousand rupees.
The second incident occurred in Khatima, Uttarakhand state. Students of the Ekalvia state model residential educational institution protested against the conditions at the school. On Monday evening, students began a sit-in strike on the school premises. They expressed dissatisfaction with issues such as low food quality, contaminated water, and unsanitary toilets.
The students demanded an investigation into these problems and improvements in conditions, accompanied by slogans. Starting from noon, students gathered on the school campus, and later parents joined them. Information about the situation reached Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami through local political figures. Given the seriousness of the matter, the Chief Minister immediately intervened and ordered the suspension of the school director, Barkhati Yadav.
After the students and parents received assurances of improved conditions from the government, they ended their strike and began chanting slogans in support of the Chief Minister.
At this Ekalvia residential educational institution in Khatima, about 400 students from tribal communities study from sixth to twelfth grade. The students claimed that low-quality food had been served at the school for a long time, and they also complained about contaminated water supply and dirt in the toilets. They pointed out that even after numerous complaints, the conditions had not been properly improved. Parents also accused the director of rude behavior and threats when filing complaints.
The problems in Hamirur and Khatima differed. Children from Hamirur came to the college hall demanding a paved road to the school, while students from Khatima went on strike over conditions in their own school. In Hamirur, the children held a five-kilometer march with flags demanding road construction, and the administration announced the start of construction after receiving permission from the forest department, which will cost approximately one hundred eighty-one million eight hundred thousand rupees. In Khatima, the students raised their voices against poor nutrition, contaminated water, and dirty toilets, and when the matter reached the minister, he intervened immediately.
