Protests continue as J&K govt orders time-bound inquiry in NIT clashes

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir government on Thursday ordered a probe into the recent incidents of violence including a police cane-charge at protesting outstation students at Srinagar’s National Institute of Technology (NIT).

The campus overlooking the Dal Lake had on April 1 witnessed clashes after Kashmiri students celebrated India’s defeat at the hands of West Indies in ICC Twenty-20 semi final by chanting pro-Pakistan slogans and lightening fireworks. Exasperated by it, the outstation students who outnumber the locals allegedly attacked them, leading to clashes and closure of the campus for students for four days.

On Tuesday evening, the outstation students attempted to leave the campus but were confronted by local police which used force, leaving many students injured. The incident evoked outrage across the country and many people took to social networking sites to denounce police action. The Centre rushed a two-member team of Human Resources Development Ministry (HRD) to hold talks with outstation students and asses the overall situation on the campus. Also, CRPF was deployed on the campus.

J&K Deputy Chief Minister, Nirmal Singh, said that the state government has ordered a probe. It would be monitored by Srinagar’s additional deputy commissioner and would be submitting its report within 15 days. "We have got the report (about incidents). Yesterday, I had a conversation with the Chief Minister where it was decided that an inquiry would be instituted over the whole incident where police baton-charged and the students got injured," he said.

Singh was scheduled to arrive here from Jammu to visit the campus but was advised to defer it in view of the prevailing security situation. The Deputy Chief Minister had on Wednesday termed the previous evening’s incident as ‘a mild baton-charge’, which was resented by outstation students and their parents. Explaining it, Mr. Singh said, “When the incident took place, I got to know from a local level report that it was a mild- baton-charge'. But later on I got to know that the police exceeded its duty and an unnecessary action was taken by them. That's why we have instituted an inquiry which would submit its report within 15 days."

The outstation students on Thursday reiterated their demand that they be evacuated and the NIT should be shifted from Srinagar. The women students from other states, chanting ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ marched through the campus demanding shifting of NIT from Kashmir Valley. Earlier, Director General of J&K Police, K Rajendra Kumar, arrived at the institute to take stock of the situation. Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir police has released a video showing how the outstation students damaged the NIT property and clashed with police personnel, deployed there on April 5.

The protesting outstation students told the HRD team comprising S.K. Sharma, Director NITs and Fazal Mehmood, Deputy Director Finance, at the ministry that they are being issued academic threats.

“They openly tell us we will ruin your careers,” said a female student. She and two other female students also alleged that when they raise the issue they are being accused of spreading rumours which is totally false.

Demanding evacuation of outstation students, they also said that the NIT should be shifted from Srinagar. The NIT at Srinagar, 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.

Referring to police lathicharge in which several outstation students were injured on Tuesday evening, they asked which law authorises the police to use “brute force” against students and hit them in their heads. “We’re not gangsters that we would be treated like that. We’re students and have come here to study,” pleaded one of them before the team. At the same time, they also said we want peace here as we are here to study.

One of the female students complained that every time including during religious festivities they want to go out of the campus they have to seek permission of the NIT authorities for it. “Are we prisoners here?” she asked. She also alleged that she was told by locals that ‘if we rape one of you, the others will fall silent.’ A male student demanded strict action against the J&K police and the authorities and said “evacuate us from here and shift the NIT.”

The students also demanded that their course duration be reduced from six to four years. The HRD ministry has said that the outstation students can appear in exams later. However, some of other demands of the outstation students have been countered by local students and the faculty. In a memorandum submitted to the HRD ministry team, the local students have said the presence of central forces on the camps will set a tone of hostility and fear amongst every student and parent, given the political and security situation of Kashmir.

“We are all aware of the volatile nature of the Kashmir region. Presence of central security or armed security forces of any type will only make the campus (and subsequently, its students) vulnerable to disturbance owing to political events outside college,” they said adding the NIT Srinagar has overcome a long history of struggle to get rid of security forces on campus in the first place.

“Let’s make this very clear. They are demanding the presence of armed security upon the grounds of an educational institute. This is not acceptable here or anywhere in the world. In the past, security forces used to reside in the hostel. This set a tone of hostility and fear amongst every student and parent. We call upon any of the representatives of the non-local brethren to cite a single incident (including and especially through the turmoil of 2008 and 2010) where a non-local student was harmed,” the memorandum reads.

Reacting to the demand that fifty percent staff at the institute should of non-locals, the memorandum says, “After just a few seconds of thought, it is very clear that the onus of selecting teaching faculty is on the MHRD. There is already a set procedure in place to ensure that there is fair selection of teaching faculty. The MHRD has the power to review the recruitment and selection procedure. This is purely an administrative issue and needs to be dealt with upon the directions of MHRD”.

The local students have strongly denied that their outstation mates are subjected to academic harassment and said that this allegation has come as a surprise. “The academic section has the award rolls of the current students and the years before. This demand is unfounded. Upon taking a look at those records, a fair number of the toppers are non-locals. This reinforces that in NIT Srinagar, the only requirement to succeed is merit and hard work. They have never been academically harassed before and will never be academically harassed in the future”, the memorandum says.

It adds that this allegation “is disrespectful to our teachers and by that extension, MHRD who selects them”. It further says, “The current situation is already sensitive. There is a growing divide between different groups within the college. The formation of councils, unions, and bringing politics into the scene will only exacerbate these divides”.

On the charge of religious impositions, the memorandum says the local students celebrate and will continue to celebrate Holi, Diwali, and every occasion with the outstation students. “In fact, we have a very memorable photograph of one of the local students celebrating Diwali, complete with fire-crackers. There is no religious imposition on anybody within the campus. This demand itself comes as a shock”.

The memorandum concluded, “NIT Srinagar has always been tightly-knit community. We have always been great hosts to the students who come here from outside. We do our best to make them feel at home, and can assure you without an iota of doubt, that we will continue to do so. Our hands are always extended”.

Faculty members have also said that they were shocked at the allegations levelled against them and pledged they will not compromise on the standards of this prestigious institute.