Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 3: At least 12 persons including few policemen were injured during the clashes that broke out at Ganderbal after a girl was beaten up by the college authorities on the allegation that she did not adhere to the dress code.
Police resorted to lathi-charge on the protesters including women and the situation turned ugly in the area.
Reports reaching here said that Principal Degree College, Ganderbal Roshan Ara allegedly beat up a girl for not adhering to the dress code. The Principal after issuing the “verbal diktats” beat up the girl thus leading to resentment among the students, both boys and girls. The beating up of the girl was resented by her colleagues. After the incident, the boys pelted stones at the college building.
The protesters staged protests outside the Deputy Commiss- ioner’s office and this was followed by protests at Main Chowk, Beehama. As the protesters were protesting against the alleged high-handedness of the college authorities, a posse of police asked them to refrain from stone pelting.
The protesting students continued stone pelting resulting in fierce clashes between the two sides. The police also did not spare the girl students and resorted to lathi-charge on them as well. The office of Deputy Commissioner, Ganderbal suffered damages in the stone pelting incident.
The lathi-charge on the girl students led to the worsening of the situation as people of the area also joined the protest. The ding dong battle between the two sides continued for hours. The clashes between the two sides led to injuries to 12 persons including four police personnel.
Senior civil and police officers reached the spot and pacified the protesters. Their intervention helped in some normalization of the situation.
Official sources said that the girl beaten up was not adhering to the dress code as prescribed by the college authorities. They said the college principal was enforcing the dress code and defended the action taken by her against the girl. They said the students took the law in their own hands and resorted to heavy stone pelting on the college building and the Deputy Commissioner’s office.
The official sources said that protests were propelled by some unscrupulous elements adding that the anti-social elements wanted to take advantage of the situation. They said the action against the protesters was necessitated since there were apprehensions that they might target the buses carrying Amarnath yatris.
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