Ludhiana, September 17
As attacks on American Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims continue, worried parents have stopped sending their wards to schools. The attendance of children of these communities in schools had diminished after the US attacks, but now the children have been told not to step out of their homes.

Reports of harassment by classmates have been received by The Tribune. A number of families contacted The Tribune on the phone and the net, saying they were scared to send their children to school. Student counsellors at school had also advised them to stay back in their homes.

The parents said the children were afraid to venture out. Ms Priya Singh residing in California said an incident of harassment by classmates had been reported but she was too scared to give the name of the child.

Harkanwal from San Mateo said a child was assaulted near his house at night. He escaped unhurt. Ms Savita Kaushal, a mother of two schoolgoing children, from Las Vegas, said she had stopped her children from going to school. She said: “The Indians are panic-stricken. I am not sending my children to their respective schools. My daughter goes to a far off place and my son is too young to handle harassing classmates.”

She said many private Muslim schools had been closed.

Mr Jagdeep Singh, a resident of New York, said he had not sent his children to school for the past four days. “I have been keeping them like captives at home. They have been posing thousands of queries to me, but I am helpless. It’s very difficult to make the children understand the problem.”