Right-wing outfits, including Shiv Sena, in Punjab’s Swami Sarvanand Institute of Management Technology protested against Kashmiri students over alleged disrespect shown to the tricolor on campus, Indian Express reported.
Police reached the spot after protesters entered campus and started raising slogans against Kashmiri students.
Police later claimed that no Kashmiri student was harmed during the protest, and added that they are now investigating the complaint received in the matter, Indian Express reported.
“All Kashmiri students studying at the college have left for their homes in Kashmir. They all are safe and unharmed…There are around 15 students studying in the college and only seven were present at the hostel at the time of controversy. Now all of them have left because because their classes are already over,” said Gurdaspur SSP Swarndeep Singh, in the report.
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According to the SSP, “We have received a complaint from some students that had installed national flags outside every room of the college hostel in the memory of Pulwama terror attack. One such flag was also installed outside the rooms of Kashmiri students. According to the complaint, one Kashmiri student removed the flag. But after sometime, he himself installed it back and also apologised for his act. However, students claimed that it had caused disrespect to the national flag and they want a case registered,” the report stated.
He added that the police were verifying the facts of the case. “No case has been registered so far against anyone. We will take next action on the complaint on only after proper investigation.”
One February 14, an attack on a CRPF convoy in Lethpora area along the Srinagar-Jammu highway in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district killed 49 CRPF personnel. The attack was claimed by militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad.
Following the news of the attack, Kashmiris living in India have been facing xenophobia, hate, terminations and suspensions.
A mob threatened to set a Dehradun college on fire if the institute didn’t terminate a Kashmiri dean. Abid Kuchay, college Dean of the Alpine Institute has been terminated.
“The college asked for it. I agreed for the betterment of the college,” he said. Abid’s resignation has been asked for his role of getting Kashmir students admitted in the college.
Moreover, four Kashmiri students were suspended on Saturday by the National Institute of Medical Science (NIMS), Rajasthan for sharing a WhatsApp status in which they were allegedly celebrating the Pulwama attack which left 49 CRPF personnel dead.
The second-year students — Talveen Manzoor, Iqra, Zohra Nazir and Uzma Nazir — were suspended soon after they shared as a WhatsApp status allegedly celebrating the killings of the CRPF personnel in the attack
Earlier, Shridev Suman Subharti University in Dehradun suspended a Kashmiri student after his alleged WhatsApp chat regarding the Pulwama attack went viral.
Meanwhile, Aligarh Muslim University also suspended a Kashmiri student over a ‘highly objectionable tweet’.
Omar Saleem Peerzada, AMU PRO said: “We have come to know of the highly objectionable tweet. Taking immediate cognizance the student has been suspended by the university administration,” he said.
Moreover, 15-20 Kashmiri female students had locked themselves in a hostel room in Dehradun after a mob surrounded the campus area, demanding the management to ‘throw them out of their rooms’.
Shazia Hamid, one of the students, told Free Press Kashmir that she and other Kashmiri female students, fearing the mob, have locked themselves in a room.
Following Free Press Kashmir’s news story the women were provided safety by the Dehradun police who dispersed the crowd peacefully.
Earlier, former chief minister Omar Abdullah had appealed to the Home Minister of India Rajnath Singh to direct all state governments to take ‘special care of areas where Kashmiris as residing or studying.’
Following the reports of attacks on Kashmiris in various parts of India, Government of India on Saturday asked all the states to ensure safety and security of the students and people from Jammu and Kashmir.
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