NIT Srinagar: What students have to say

NIT Srinagar, Police brutality, Kashmiris, death threats, students, Bharat Mata Ki Jai, India

New Delhi, April 7, 2016: The atrocities done against the students in the NIT Srinagar campus has enraged the country with many venting their ire at politicians and police on social media.

It all began when India lost to West Indies and Kashmiri students started chanting anti-India slogans and bursting crackers. The students even say that the local canteen staff at NIT Srinagar, which is situated at the back of the first year’s hostel, started stone pelting which led to minor injuries to students (and this is supposed to be a safe and a world class institution).

Worried by this stone attack, the first year students called on the Director and demanded an immediate action on it. They also said that the Tricolor should be hoisted as it is supposed to be done in every central university.

The NIT Srinagar Director sent the students back with an assurance but with no fixed deadline.

After this Kashmiri local students including some M.Tech and Phd scholars  formed a group and again started shouting anti-national slogans and when the non-local students protested, the enraged locals hit one of the non-local student with a drafter leading to an injury on his head.

Post this, there was a minor clash between these two groups in the vicinity of NIT Srinagar.

The non-local students afterwards hoisted the Indian national flag and organised a rally in the campus chanting ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’.

The local police force was called up at NIT Srinagar and they used tear gases and did lathi-charge on the non-local students. The locals around the college campus started furious stone pelting from outside, but, no action has been taken by the police force against the Kashmiri students and the local mob.

Watch the video of J&K police beating students in NIT Srinagar hostel:

What added to the chaos was the notice from the NIT Srinagar authorities on the same night asking the non-local students to vacate their hostels. The students say that all this happened when the locals came on to the main gate of NIT Srinagar throwing obscenities at the non-local students.

The college authorities decided to call the higher police officials to take control of the situation at NIT Srinagar. The SSP and the DM addressed the students later that night and made sure that the issue is cooled down and assured them that the students will be given security by the J&K police. But the next morning, some Kashmiri students entered the 2nd year hostel and threatened a non-local student, and warned him of the dire consequences he will be in after the police force leaves the campus.

That Kashmiri student was caught and was taken to director’s office but what action was taken against him? It is unclear.

By then the non-local students had enough and called the SSP again and told that they be sent to the airport safely but this demand was kept aside and the students were even told to give their details to the authority. Further the students are saying this:

  • That they may be tortured academically (or may be given NFTE certificate which means not fit for technical education), which can ruin their career.
  • The non-local students who demanded a safe passage to the airport, were told by the college officials that they were responsible for themselves and college would not take any responsibility.
  • The students are receiving death threats on social networking sites which is also adding to the worries of students as well as their parents.
  • The students say that strict security must be present at NIT Srinagar since students are being threatened continuously.
  • Administration staff must be revised and since NIT Srinagar is a National Institute, hence at least 50% of the staff should be non-local.
  • Strict action should be taken against teachers at NIT Srinagar who are threatening students and an assurance that there won’t be any academic harassment of the students afterwards.
  • A basic student council should be formed consisting of subordinates from each year.
  • Religious impositions should not be there on students during festivities.
  • The demands should be fulfilled with immediate effect or else the institution must be shifted to a more socially secure environment where the students do not indulge in such activities.