Bandh in Jammu over NIT issue, Students at NIT stage protest march

Jammu

Life in Jammu region was thrown out of gear today following a ‘bandh’ being observed to protest over alleged police high-handedness on outstation students at NIT in Srinagar.

The region faced a shut down called by various groups, including Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) to protest against the cane-charge on outstation students by the police on April 5.

The Jammu Province People’s Forum (JPPF), Sri Ram Sene and various student organisations had extended their support to one-day Jammu bandh call.

The Bar Association of Jammu (BAJ) also decided to suspend work in all the courts across the region.

“Yesterday we held a meeting and decided to suspend work in all the courts across Jammu region.

“Though we are yet to extend our support for the strike but the BAJ has suspended work in all courts across the region to protest against police brutality on the students,” BAJ president Abhinav Sharma said.

The lawyers also held a protest outside the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, demanding action against the police officials for allegedly manhandling the outstation students of the institute.

Several student organisations took to the streets and blocked the Jammu-Pathankot National Highway at Bikram Chowk.

A heavy contingent of police was deployed at several places across the region to maintain law and order.

While schools and other educational institutions remained closed, the attendance at government and private offices remained thin.

NIT row: BJP warns of reaction against J&K students elsewhere


Jammu

BJP today cautioned that the way outstation students are being dealt with at NIT Srinagar could have an impact on students from Jammu and Kashmir studying elsewhere in the country.

“The elements involved in the misaction are anti-national and anti-people who want to destroy the peaceful atmosphere in the state by indulging in such type of violence which tantamount to instigating similar reactions against students from the state studying outside the state and putting to risk and jeopardy their lives,” said Sunil Sethi, chief spokesperson of BJP’s state unit.

Noting that Jammu and Kashmir is poised to get AIIMS and IIT, he said, “Bad treatment given to our fellow countrymen in the state will dissuade the students and teachers to come to these institutions which looks like concerted effort to isolate the state from national mainstream.”

He called upon the state govt administration to take effective and strong action against all persons involved, including police officials, to instill confidence among outstation students.

He further said raising of national flag and chanting national slogans are a matter of pride and the state has to facilitate activities which propagate nationalism.

Action should be taken against all such elements who are indulging in anti-national slogans and hoisting flags of Pakistan which amounts to supporting and propagating terrorism and separatism in the state and rest of country, Sethi said.

He said there should be total ban on sale and possession of Pakistani Flags in the state with penal consequences to stop the politics of hatred in the state.

Srinagar

Situation at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) here continued to be tense today with a small group of outstation students staging a protest march within the campus, demanding shifting of the institute from Kashmir.

The women students from other states, chanting “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” marched through the campus demanding shifting of NIT from Kashmir to outside the Valley, officials said.

The protesting students marched through the campus even as state Director General of Police K Rajendra Kumar arrived at the institute to take stock of the situation.

This is the third day of protests by outstation students who are demanding action against policemen involved in lathicharge on them. They have also accused some faculty members of alleged harassment of non-local students.

The protesting students have said some of the staff members of NIT should resign so that “they do not play with any student’s career”.

Faculty members, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they were shocked at the allegations levelled against them.

“The allegations are shocking. Just check the records and you will see outstation students have been doing better at examinations. If anything, we have been generous with them,” a faculty member said.

He, however, said the faculty will not compromise on the standards of this prestigious institute.

“We cannot pass even those who are mediocre in studies.

The minimum standards have to be upheld,” he said.

Yesterday, Union HRD ministry had sent a team of officials to assess the situation at NIT following the clashes which were triggered by India’s defeat at the hands of West Indies in the World Cup T20 last week.

The students put several demands before the team including shifting of the NIT out of Kashmir, action against police personnel and faculty members, and construction of temple in the campus.

Two FIRs registered regarding violence at NIT campus

Srinagar

Police has registered two separate FIRs regarding the incidents of the violence that took place on NIT Srinagar campus on last Friday and Tuesday.

The first FIR was registered against unknown persons for the clashes between outstation and local students on April 1, a day after India lost to West Indies in the semi-final of the World T20 Cup.

The police has invoked sections 148 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 427 (mischief), 336 (endangering life of others) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) for the clashes between local and outstation students that took place on Friday, a police official said.

In the second FIR registered on April 5, the police, besides slapping the charges of the previous FIR, has added sections 353 (assault on public servant) and 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant).

While no one has been named in the two FIRs yet, the official said police is investigating the video evidence of the violence that took place on the days of incidents.

Police also released video clippings showing non-local students attacking the cops with stones and damaging property at the campus.

The video, shot on Tuesday when trouble restarted in the campus, shows a large number of non-local students protesting against the NIT administration and trying to march towards the main gate of the campus.

The students, some of them masked, are seen carrying iron rods and stones. Some of the students threw stones at Jammu and Kashmir Police and many buildings of the campus resulting in damage to many window panes.

They are also seen vandalizing the property at the campus, including damaging a private car of an administrative official.

The security forces then resorted to baton charge to disperse the protesting students.

Meanwhile, a group of non-local girl students today said their fight was against the administration and the issue should not be given a political or religious colour.

“Our issue was not to incite the tempers. We all want justice. We are just fighting against our administration and we are not fighting on religious issues. So please don’t make it a religious issue,” said a girl student at the NIT in a video message.

“We neither want a temple to be built here nor do we want to demolish a mosque. We only want justice on what happened to our friends and don’t make it a political or religious issue,” said another girl said in the video.

They said the non-local students were not against the local students but wanted justice for their friends who, they alleged, were beaten by the police on Tuesday.

“They (the administration) is saying (that) the situation is normal. Only 10 per cent of the students are going to the classes and 90 per cent are boycotting. Is this situation called normal? We are not against the locals, we are really not against them.

“All we want is the justice for our friends who were brutally beaten by the police,” the girl said.

NIT Srinagar students can appear for exams later: HRD Ministry
New Delhi

The students at NIT Srinagar campus, which has been gripped by tension following clashes, will have an option to appear for exams later, HRD ministry officials said today.

The decision comes a day after a three-member team of Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry visited the campus to take stock of situation and held talks with the agitating students to defuse the tension.

Expressing a sense of insecurity at the campus, the outstation students told the team that they wanted to go home for the time being and appear for exams later. The students also made a slew of demands, including shifting the institute out of Kashmir and action against policemen involved in lathicharge on Monday.

“There are students who want to appear later but a majority of them want to do it as per schedule. So an option will be given to them. Those who want to appear later, re-exams will be scheduled,” officials in the ministry said.

The exams are scheduled to start next week.

“The HRD team which has gone to the campus will stay there till the exams are concluded. The J and K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has also assured Union Minister Smriti Irani that safety of all students will be ensured,” the officials said.

Irani will also be visiting Srinagar on April 13 for a Consultative Committee meeting of Members of Parliament but there is no clarity on whether she will be going to NIT campus.

The team which was rushed to Srinagar to look into students’ grievances included Sanjeev Sharma, Director (Technical Education) in the HRD ministry, Deputy Director Finance Fazal Mehmood and Chairman of Board of Governors of NIT M J Zarabi.

Tension started brewing inside the NIT campus, located at the banks of famous Dal lake, last week after India lost to West Indies in semi-final in the T-20 cricket tournament prompting some local students to rejoice and burst crackers.

This led to protest by outstation students resulting in clashes.

Since March 31 night, the situation inside the campus has been volatile and the authorities had posted personnel from Seema Suraksha Bal (SSB). The local police was manning the main gate of the institute.

The developments prompted the NIT authorities to close the campus on Saturday but it was reopened on Monday. The outstation students also tried to march out of the campus saying they wanted to return to their homes.