Srinagar: A day after violent clashes broke out between local and outstation students over India’s suffering a seven-wicket defeat at the hands of West Indies in ICC Twenty20 semi final, calm returned to the National Institute of Technology’s Srinagar campus on Saturday.
However, strong contingents of Jammu and Kashmir police and CRPF called in by the authorities to combat violence on Friday are far from relaxed as they beefed up vigil on Saturday to ensure peace at the picturesque campus overlooking the Dal Lake.
The institute authorities are ‘contented’ over easing of tensions and have announced that the class work will resume on Monday. “The situation is limping back to normal and hopefully the campus will be reopened to students by Monday,” said NIT Srinagar Registrar, Dr. Fayaz Ahmed Mir.
Mr. Mir had on Friday ordered closure of the institute till further orders “in view of the prevailing indiscipline created by students at the campus and asked the students to vacate the hostels immediately”. He had said that the decision has been taken due to refusal by students to maintain discipline even after repeated requests by the Institute (authorities) as well as the local administration.”
The campus had earlier witnessed clashes between local and outstation students in highly emotional and surcharged atmosphere created by Thursday’s win by West Indies over India in T-20 semi-final. Several students were injured in these clashes and subsequent police action. The celebrations by sections of students, mainly local Kashmiris, over West Indies’ win against India led to clashes. While local students alleged that some of their mates were thrashed by non-local students who also damaged the college infrastructure to vent their anger and even misbehaved with faculty members, the latter said that it were actually local students who targeted them when they objected to their openly rejoicing over India’s defeat in the T20 semi-final.
In Delhi, the HRD ministry also said normalcy has been restored at NIT Srinagar. A statement released by the ministry said Rajat Gupta, Director NIT Srinagar, has reassured the students, faculty and parents that the temporary situation arising out of tensions from disappointment at the outcome of the cricket match on March 31 had been overcome.
The HRD Ministry also said that the district administration and local authorities had extended the fullest cooperation, enabling the situation to be contained. “The group of students have been counselled in the presence of senior officials,” it added. Mr. Gupta assured the parents, students and all concerned that there is no cause for apprehension and students are safe, secure and on campus, said the statement. He also said that all scheduled programs in the institution will take place, including the National Research Scholar Conclave scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.
Meanwhile, students at nearby Kashmir University on Saturday staged a protest against the NIT incidents and to express solidarity with the students and faculty members of the NIT who were allegedly beaten up by outstation students. While holding the solidarity march within the university campus, they chanted pro-freedom slogans. One of the placards being held by the protesting students read “No IIT, No IIM; Only Freedom”.
A statement issued by Kashmir University Students Union (KUSU) termed Friday’s incident as “crafted episode” and alleged that it was a glaring example of how even the campuses and institutes in Kashmir Valley “are being colonised and made hostile for Kashmiri students by the Indian state”. It said, “It should serve as an eye opener for all, while the whole Valley fears for the safety of their loved ones studying or working in India, Kashmiris are even not safe in their homeland. The hegemonic atmosphere created by the outsiders with the full support of Indian forces and establishment is an extension of the state policy of strengthening the occupation and control on Kashmiris”.
The NIT, earlier known as Regional Engineering College (REC), has nearly 2,500 students and 400 academic staff members. A majority of the students, however, comes from outside Jammu and Kashmir.
The KUSU alleged that conversion of REC into NIT was in itself a planned conspiracy to get hold of educational institutes in Kashmir to create mini settlements of outsiders which will ultimately change the demography of the students joining these institutes in favour of India. “This loss of an engineering college and its assets has reduced the number of Kashmiri students joining to less than 20 percent what used to be a decade earlier,” it said.
It further said that in a Kashmiri students’ perspective, the proposed Indian national institutes have lost the credibility given the fact that reformation of REC, Srinagar into NIT has robbed them off the previously prevailing opportunities, scope, freedom and safety, as was evident from one of the banners in the protest organised today in Kashmir University that read ‘No NIT, No IIT - We Want Freedom’.
KUSU said it vehemently rejects the notion of NIT, and has time and again called for restoration of REC and disbandment of NIT. “KUSU strongly condemns this hooliganism and stands firmly in support of the fear-stricken Kashmiri students enrolled in NIT. Cane charging, tear gas canisters and chasing students inside the campus is not a solution to the problem, NIT, itself is a problem which is more behaving like a state within a state”, the statement said.
It also said, “Rather begging for more Indian institutes, KUSU believes, our focus should be to develop and upgrade our institutes along with upgrading the quality education. Otherwise, in near future, all our institutes are bound to become experimenting laboratories for India’s Hindutva state”.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena ( Bala Sahib Thackery ) activists on Saturday held a protest at Bari Brahmana on the outskirts of winter capital Jammu and torched the Pakistan flag to vent anger “against those who are living in India and supporting Pakistan”.
