Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Thursday said that some people want Kashmir to be part of India but don’t want Kashmiris to be part of Indians and called this ‘ironic situation’ as ‘depressing’.
In a tweet, he wrote: “The irony of the situation is depressing. We want Kashmir to be part of India, but we do not want Kashmiris to be part of Indians,” referring to Meghalaya Governor’s endorsement of a retired army general’s opinion where he agreed to boycott of all Kashmiri products.
The irony of the situation is depressing. We want Kashmir to be part of India, but we do not want Kashmiris to be part of Indians.
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) February 21, 2019
He further said that the ‘Statue of Unity’, the182 metre statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, located near Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat, ‘watches over’ the governor of Meghalaya and others who seem to think that Kashmiris have no place in India.
The Statue of Unity watches over the Governor of Meghalaya and others who seem to think that Kashmiris have no place in India.
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) February 21, 2019
Patel, India’s first home minister, is known as a unifier of the country and is credited for merging over 560 princely states into the union of India.
His comments followed the February 14 attack on a CRPF convoy in Lethpora area along the Srinagar-Jammu highway in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district which killed 49 CRPF personnel.
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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