Srinagar: Schools across Jammu and Kashmir have been directed to celebrate ‘Surgical Strike Day’ on September 29, with strict instructions to heads of all educational institutions to submit proof of the celebrations in form of pictures and video clippings.The three-day event is being organised based on directions of the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry which has asked the education department to ensure maximum participation of students in the event by organising a wide range of activities.A circular from the ministry has desired a pledge of support from the students to armed forces by writing letters/cards to them and addressing them to the nearest army formation. The school heads have been asked to arrange free of cost blank cards for the students for writing “creative messages” to the forces.“All the authorities shall send one page report of all the activities conducted along with pictures and videos to this office through directorates of school education in Jammu and Kashmir and also upload the same on their respective website,” reads the circular issued by secretary school education to directorates of school education in Kashmir and Jammu.Both the directorates have to consolidate reports about the event from all schools and submit it to the government before October 1. The schools which have National Credit Corps units have been asked to organise special parades followed by motivational talks or lectures by inviting veterans and other experts from the field.An official said the Directorate of School Education Kashmir has issued instructions to all school heads to ensure participation of students and staff in the event. “We have been strictly asked to go with the directions from higher authorities,” said the official, adding that the department has appointed officers to ensure programmes are held in schools and the report along with photos and videos of the activities are send to the directorate.However he said the decision might fuel further tension in the restive Valley. The situation in Kashmir has been grim after the government of India announced to hold civic bodies’ polls in the state earlier this month.On Thursday, tensions rose further after a 24-year-old student from summer capital of Srinagar was killed during cordon-and-search operations early during morning hours.While the family of slain Muhammad Salim Malik accused the forces of killing him in “cold-blood”, the police, in a statement, said the youth was killed in “cross-firing between hiding militant and the forces”.The Valley is observing a complete shutdown today on a call given by separatist camp to protests against the killing.The academics are also not enthused with the ‘dictate’. “Such circulars from UGC have become a routine exercise ever since Modi-government took over. But in most of the cases like Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan such events remain limited to public relation exercise only,” said Sheikh Showkat Hussain who teaches law at Central University of Kashmir.According to historian Ashiq Hussain Bhat, the move by the BJP was “purely political in nature in order to reap political benefits” in the upcoming elections. “By doing so they are sowing seeds of violence in the minds of young students. Instead of promoting peace they are now encouraging the discourse about violence in the campuses,” said Bhat. “We live in times when the discourse is hyper nationalism. Didn’t the BJP wanted to install tanks in JNU? Anybody who had opposed it purely from an academic point of view was dubbed as anti-national,” he added.Also read: ‘Surgical Strikes Day’ Is Just a Pre-Election Dose of Patriotic Political FodderOn 29 September, 2016, the Indian Army said it carried out surgical strikes on seven launch pads across Line of Control (LoC) as a response to an attack on its base in border town of Uri in north Kashmir earlier that month.At least 17 soldiers were killed and 19 other injured in a pre-dawn fidayeen attack on the Army’s base camp. All the four militants who had carried out the attack were also gunned down in the fierce gun battle that had raged on for hours when Kashmir was in the midst of five-month long uprising.The Army had said its special forces carried out the strike in response to the Uri attack and inflicted “significant casualties” on militants waiting to cross into this side of Kashmir.Mudasir Ahmad is a Srinagar-based reporter.