Rajasthan police detain, free 10 Kashmiri students

Bismah Malik

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, January 2

There is no let-up in the incidents of harassment of Kashmiri students in colleges outside the state.

At least 10 Kashmiri students studying at NIMS University, Rajasthan, were detained by the police after clashes broke out between them and students from Bihar on the hostel premises on the New Year’s eve. However, they have been released.

The clashes took place following rumours that a student from Bihar was beaten up by a few students in the university and was seriously injured.

“The police entered the hostel premises and detained 10 students from J&K. In the clashes, secretary to the Chancellor also received injuries while she was trying to pacify the students. The students from Bihar were agitated and broke hostel furniture, which caused the clashes,” a student from Kashmir studying at NIMS said.

He said, “Many students from Kashmir are leaving the hostel fearing violent attacks.”

The university had put restrictions on the New Year’s celebrations in the two hostels earlier. The NIMS registrar confirmed the occurrence of the clashes, but “downplayed the reports that Kashmiri students were the target”.

“The matter stands resolved now,” Shabana Ahmad, personal assistant to the registrar, said.

“The students have been released,” Shabana said.

In 2014 , a series of incidents happened in Noida, Greater Noida, Meerut and Ghaziabad where Kashmiri students were either beaten up or detained for involvement in violent clashes with non-Kashmiri students.

In March 2014, 67 students were expelled by a Meerut university and sedition charges were briefly slapped on them after a row during an Indo-Pak cricket match. However, later the university authorities withdrew the expulsion order.

In December 2014, eight Kashmiri students were injured after some local goons attacked them. The students were studying at Global Research Institution of Management and Technology, Yamunanagar, Haryana.