New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday directed that the nodal officers appointed in 11 states should take necessary steps to prevent acts of violence, discrimination and other coercive acts against Kashmiris and other minorities in the wake of the February 14 Pulwama terror attack.
A bench of chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna gave this direction after the attorney general K.K. Venugopal informed the court that the Centre had already issued advisories to the states to take necessary steps to ensure the safety of Kashmiri students and nodal officers had also been put in place.
The bench asked the Centre that the appointment of these nodal officers will be given wide publicity by the ministry of home affairs so that all acts of assault, intimidation, social boycott and threat can be brought to the attention.
The bench in its order said “We have also gone through the advisories issued by the home ministry to the chief secretaries and the DGPs of all states. These advisories already issued shall be reiterated from time to time.”
“The chief secretaries, the DGPs and the police commissioner of Delhi are directed to take prompt and necessary action to prevent all incidents of threat, ass-ault, social boycott and other coercive acts in the aftermath of the terrorist attack of Februa-ry 14,” the bench added.
The chief secretaries and director generals of police of Maharashtra, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Chhat-tisgarh and Uttarakha-nd were asked to take immediate steps.
Senior counsel Colin Gonsalves, appearing for advocate Tariq Adeeb brought to the notice of the court that the incidents of attack on Kashmiris was taking place and these incidents must be stopped.
Mr Venugopal said that even before the said terrorist act, Kashmiri students were found to be vulnerable in the rest of the country and the government of India found it necessary to extend protection.
"Nodal officers have been appointed in all states and UTs and there names and numbers are available. This list was updated in 2018...besides, necessary advisories have been issued. Steps have been taken by the Home Ministry particularly in respect of students residing outside of J & K and grievances can be reported on a specific number”, he added.
The bench also directed that police officers, who were earlier appointed as nodal officers to deal with incidents of mob lynching, would now be responsible to deal with cases of alleged assault on Kashmiris.
The PIL by advocate Tariq Adeeb alleged that students from Kashmir Valley are being attacked at different educational institutions across the country after the Pulwama terror attack and authorities concerned should be directed to take actions to stop such assaults. Forty CRPF personnel were killed in south Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14, in a terror attack allegedly carried out by banned terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed
The petition gave details of attacks on people from Kashmir in different parts of the country. The petitioner has prayed for steps to be taken to prevent such attacks, threats, social boycott, ostracism, evictions and other coercive acts committed by groups and mobs against Kashmiris and other minorities.
Specifically, the petition prays for directions to be issued to heads of institutions including educational institutions to take steps to protect the lives of Kashmiris. The petition also prays for prosecution of persons indulging in hate speech.
