Srinagar: On Monday, families of Kashmiri students who were first duped and then assaulted by staff of Desh Bhagat University in Punjab, protested in Srinagar’s press colony seeking justice to their children enduring wrath in Fatehgarh Sahib Punjab.
The families said that their daughters are on verge of killing themselves as an injustice has been done with them.
Students who enrolled in the four-year nursing program in 2021 have said they were misled, as reported by Free Press Kashmir.
According to the students, their program is on the verge of completion, yet the university has not secured the necessary approvals for it. They assert that the university initially obtained approval to admit only 60 students for this specific course, but it ultimately enrolled nearly 150 students.
In response to these grievances, the students initiated protests. However, in a troubling turn of events, the university authorities filed a complaint, leading the police to conduct a lathicharge against the protesting students on a Thursday. Many students, mostly Kashmiri girls, sustained injuries.
Several videos have appeared on social media sites showing Kashmiri students being beatenup, dragged and verbally abused by the university staff including vice chancellor and bouncers hired by the varsity.
Prior to this incident, the students had also staged protests during a visit from the NAAC team, but the university responded by bringing in bouncers who mistreated the protesters.
A First Information Report (FIR) was filed against the Kashmiri students— 56 in total for their only fault as they protesting against crime committed by the university making them to study in unapproved college, which is also associated with DBU but lacks registration.
Earlier, Deputy Superintendent of Police G S Bains said the case was registered against Zora Singh, vice chancellor of the Desh Bhagat University, Amloh in Fatehgarh Sahib and others.
As per the FIR, police have booked chancellor Zora Singh, his relative Tejinder Kaur, university vice-president Harshdeep Singh, HK Sidhu, security in-charge Darshan Singh and seven others by name, and half a dozen unnamed persons under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 354B (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees or upwards), 506 (criminal intimidation), 148 (rioting) and 149 (unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code.
