SRINAGAR: On Wednesday morning when schools will reopen after their closure last weekend, there will be students who will have no school to read. At least two schools were set afire by unknown people in run-up to the elections in south Kashmir, which was later deferred.

The state run High School at Ayand was destroyed in a conflagration Monday night. It was designated as a polling station. By the time, the residents rushed to extinguish the fire, most of it was destroyed.

(Possible students of one of the gutted schools in Shopian with the rubble of the premesis. This picture was located on Facebook)

This was the second school that went up in flames. Earlier Sunday night, another school in Padder village, was destroyed in similar circumstances. It was a middle school and was also a designed polling booth.

Both the schools destroyed in the pre-poll tensions were located in Shopian and Pulwama district. The South Kashmir was supposed to go to polls on Wednesday. However, given the massive tensions and the historically low poll participation led the Election Commission defer the polls till May 25. There was a report about another school in Yarigund also having been set afire.

However, what would be seriously felt by the students of these three schools on Wednesday would be that they will have literally no address. It remains to be seen if they would get into clearing the ruble or having some alternative shelter to study.

Election to one of the two Lok Sabha segments, Central Kashmir, was held on Sunday. It witnessed eight killings as more than a hundred were injured. Now a repoll is taking place at 38 stations. However, polling for South Kashmir was deferred.

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