Bihar students go on rampage against state government's move to close educational institutions

The students of Bihar's Rohtas district went on a rampage and resorted to arson following the state government's decision to close all the educational institutions till April 11 in the wake of the steady rise in the number of COVID-19 cases.

The decision was taken by the crisis management group of the state government after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar consulted officials at a high-level meeting on Saturday to consider shutting down of the schools and colleges amid surge in COVID-19 infections.

The students set tyres ablaze on the road connecting the mini-secretariat and the main post office in the district headquarter Sasaram. They also resorted to stone pelting on police and even vandalised several properties, shops and private vehicles.

It took two hours for the police officers to disperse the crowd, as the area was completely choked leading to a massive traffic jam.

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Dharmendra Kumar, District Magistrate, said: "We have arrested nine students involved in the arson attack. They have been booked under relevant IPC sections for vandalising public and government properties."

"The state government has shut all the educational institutions till April 11 amid surge in COVID-19 infections and it cannot be rolled back. The move is in the public interest. The arson attack cannot be justified," he said.

Meanwhile, students and owners of coaching institutions have said that the decision of the state government is against the interest of students. Such a decision will hamper their syllabus.

An association of coaching institutes also held a meeting in Patna on Sunday to take stock of the situation.