Troops continue to occupy historical Bhadarwah college

Bhaderwah: Feroz Khan, a young graduate student, today laments the day when he took admission in the historical Bhaderwah college, a premier education institute of Chenab Valley – Erstwhile Doda district.
Since his school days the young student was excited about the college life, which he had seen in movies. For him it was also a time to build dreams, plan career and make smart moves.
However, today his dreams stand broken and he is forced to face the harsh reality. College for him is a fortified place, where he has not even the liberty to move freely. Courtesy; the gun yielding CRPF personnel occupying the campus premises from last over a decade.
Like Feroz, over a thousand student of Bhadereah Degree College, are studying amid the fear psychosis which is effecting their studies considerably. For them going to college means facing humiliation and threats.
Even two years after the central government claimed that the army and para-military personnel have vacated all the school and hospital buildings across Jammu and Kashmir, the students and faculty members at historical Bhaderwah college see no respite from the gun yielding para-military personnel under whose shadow the college has been functioning for a long time.
Had there been no sign board at the entrance gate of the college, no one can judge that the premises inside is an educational institution as right from the gate the premises gives look of a cantonment. The CRPF is occupying staff quarters and the boys hostel resulting in the staff members and the students hailing from outside are forced to pay heavy rents for private accommodations. Due to presence of security personnel in the premises no girl student is ready to stay in the hostel and the hostel building meant for the girls is being used by IGNOU And the PG department of Urdu. Not only this the only play ground of the college is being used as parking place for the vehicles by the security personnel whereas soakage pits and toilets have been constructed over the Botanical garden of the College. Besides security men there are large number of their pet dogs seen in the college which are the biggest problem for the students. As the students can not move freely in the college due to the fear of these dogs.
"Due to presence of security forces in the college premises female students are not ready to stay in the hostel whereas the boys hostel is already occupied by the forces, as such students are forced to stay in rented accommodations and pay huge money" says Fiza Khan an ex student. Another student Aleem Wani says, "We can not enjoy the college life, and always think as if we are inside a cantonment". "Bhaderwah has a big talent in sports, even it has produced star cricketers but due to non-availabilty of play ground as the same is being used by CRPF we can not practice any game" added he.
Govt Degree College Bhadarwah was established in the year 1955 when Bakshi Ghulam Mohammed, the then Prime Minister of the Jammu and Kashmir State laid the foundation of the College. Situated in the lap of the Himalayas, in a beautiful cup shaped valley of Bhaderwah surrounded on one side by Kaplas and on the other side by Ashapati Mountains- a tall range separating this beautiful valley from District Chamba of Himachal Pardesh, Bhadarwah college is one of the oldest colleges of the state and the first one in Chenab Valley.
The previous coalition government led by the then chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had taken initiative with the central government for vacating the government buildings especially school, colleges and hospitals from the force’s occupation.
However, irnocially, the chief minister, who was himself a student of the college, failed to get the college premises vacated and the CRPF personnel still remain there affecting the studies and culture of the students.