HUNDREDS of students took to the streets in Patan on Tuesday to protest against the relocation of Sandipani School to Sakra village, located approximately 10 kilometers away. Demonstrating students blocked the Patan road, severely disrupting traffic along the Jabalpur–Damoh–Bhopal route for nearly an hour. The massive turnout caused significant concern among local police and administrative authorities. According to the protesting students, the school’s current location in Patan was easily accessible to children from surrounding villages. Relocating the campus 10 km away to Sakra has created major commuting challenges for rural and economically underprivileged families, who will now face extra travel time and transport costs.

 

Construction of the new school building in Sakra village is already underway. During the protest, the students alleged that certain teachers threatened protesting students with Transfer Certificates (TCs) or failure in examinations to suppress the demonstration. However, these allegations remain independently unverified. Upon receiving news of the blockade, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Manvendra Singh, along with Patan police and local officials, arrived at the scene to mediate. SDM Singh discussed with the students and the school principal and assured students that transport facilities would be arranged. The administration confirmed that a tender for school bus operations has already been released and transport services will be rolled out as quickly as possible. Following the official assurance of bus arrangements to resolve their daily commute, the students called off the protest.