Rashmi Belur By

BENGALURU: A school’s stand-off with the Army left about a thousand children stranded for more than four hours on Tuesday.

The Army has staked claim to the land on which the Government School in JC Nagar stands. When its men arrived at 2.30pm to take possession of the property, they ran into stiff resistance.

Children from class 1 to 10 remained in their classes to prevent the army from locking up the school.

The school authorities had instructed the children to stay put while they sought the intervention of education officials and Karnataka’s Primary and Secondary Education Minister Tanveer Sait.

They feared the army would take over the premises the moment the children left the classes. Sympathetic to the plight of children caught in the cross-fire, some army men fetched them snacks. The school authorities and locals were in no mood to allow them to hand the children anything. The high drama continued till 8 pm, and ended only after minister Sait intervened.

When their children did not reach home as usual, many parents started streaming into the school.

“My son is fasting and it’s time to break the fast. If they have a problem, let them sort it out. Why are they detaining our children?” a parent demanded to know.

The children were tired but curious. Some were gazing out of the windows and following the developments.

“Our teacher told us not to go out of the classroom. I am really hungry,” said a Class 7 boy.

A Class 9 girl who usually reaches home by 3.45pm was wondering what her parents might be thinking. “They will be tense. I just want to go home,” she said.

Many parents just wanted to be done with it, and take their children home. Some stayed back as Sait, the local MLA, army officers, and education officials stood around deliberating. Around 8pm, all parents trooped towards home.