Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 8: The irate parents, students, political parties and social organizations held protest and condemned the NIT Srinagar incident.
The angry parents and NIT Srinagar students assembled outside Exhibition Ground near Press Club and held protest. They raised slogans against the Government and demanded security cover to non-Kashmiri students studying in NIT Srinagar.
They also demanded action against the erring police personnel, who cane-charged their children (non-Kashmiri) without any fault, resulting into injuries and hospitalization of large number of students. The parents also demanded revocation of FIRs against nationalist students’ vis-à-vis shifting of NIT from Srinagar.
“Our children are scared and not in a condition to appear in the examination, so we demand to postpone it”, they said and added Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh did not come to meet the students.
“If he is not safe within the campus, you can surmise what can happen to our children”, they stated.
They added that “Cane-charge by security personnel over nationalist students clearly indicates that the latter support the anti-national elements openly”, they added.
One of the students said he wanted strict action against the SP and SSP responsible for the lathi charge.
Large number of students from University of Jammu took out a rally under the banner of National Students Association to express solidarity with the students sitting on the protest at NIT Srinagar. The protest was led by NSA President Abhinandan Sharma. The protesting students hired a bus to Srinagar, but police stopped the bus near Nagrota and after having negotiations, the protestors turned back. Later, the bus carrying protestors passed through various areas of Jammu.
National Panthers Party (NPP) activists led by its Chairman Harshdev Singh also joined the protesting parents. While speaking, Harshdev Singh asked the Government to revoke FIRs and also exhorted Union HRD Minister Samriti Irani to personally visit the NIT Srinagar and interact with the students to resolve the tension inside the campus. He said that the Panthers party will not relent unless all the demands of the students are conceded by the State Government.
A protest over brutal lathi charge on peaceful and innocents students of NIT Srinagar was held. Carrying placards a large number of Congress workers led by PCC General Secretaries Vikram Malhotra, Thakur Manmohan Singh and Namrata Sharma assembled at Chowk Chabutra and took out a rally, which passed through Parade, Purani Mandi and culminated at City Chowk. Speaking on the occasion, Vikram Malhotra expressed solidarity with the students and their parents and asked the Government to diffuse the situation by taking the necessary measures in the matter. Thakur Manmohan Singh and Namrata Sharma also spoke on the occasion.
BJP leader and national executive member ST Morcha Ishfaq-ur-Rehman Poswal urged civil society to come forward and help in resolving the prevailing unrest at NIT Srinagar. Poswal regretted that such unrest in an institute like NIT could affect tourism industry, restoration of peace, huge economic package of Rs 80,000 crore meant for the development of Jammu and Kashmir and establishment of AIIMS.
District General Secretary, NSUI Rajouri Wasiq Malik during a press conference condemned the brutal lathi-charge on the students of NIT Srinagar. He asked the Government to resolve the matter as soon as possible and conduct a fair enquiry into it. He requested DC Rajouri to consult Indian Medical Council and look into the matter of demarcation of land for GMC Rajouri at a suitable location in Rajouri town.
Yuva Rajput Sabha (YRS) held protest against the incident which had taken place at NIT Srinagar with non-Kashmiri students. The protesters blocked the vehicular movement near Bantalab Chowk and raised slogans against the Government and JKP. The protest was led by Surinder Singh Gilli, President YRS. Addressing the gathering, Surinder Singh Gilli asked the Government to provide fool proof security cover to non-Kashmiri students and action against the erring police cops and whosoever is behind the incident.
All J&K Sikh Unity Forum held a meeting under the chairmanship of its Convener Rajinder Singh. The participants condemned the NIT incident and demanded inquiry.
State President, Shri Ram Sena, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajiv Mahajan demanded revocation of FIRs being lodged by Police against non-local students to pre-empt the enquiry constituted by the State authorities against them”.
To express their anguish against NIT episode, the residents of Doda and Kishtwar districts and Kashmir region took out a rally under the banner of Mohallah Committee, Vaski Vihar, Barnai Road, Bantalab. The rally was led by President of the Committee ML Koul, who while speaking requested Chief Minister and DGP to intervene in the matter and initiate action against the erring security personnel. He also demanded compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the injured students and shifting of NIT from Srinagar to some other place.
In a statement, MY Tarigami, MLA and CPI (M) leader urged the State and the Central Governments to deal with NIT Srinagar situation cautiously and allow the college administration to sort out the issues with the students amicably. While the genuine grievances of the students should be addressed at the earliest, the Government should also make serious efforts for the removal of security related complaints of Kashmiri students studying outside J&K, he added.
J&K BJP State Spokesperson, Prof Virender Gupta condemned the misconceived action of lodging FIR against the non-local students of NIT Srinagar. He said that the State police deployed in the institution committed heinous crime by executing unprovoked brutal lathi-charge and tear-gas shells on the students, thus inflicting serious injuries on some of them. Prof Virender demanded impartial Judicial enquiry into the whole episode.
Sampooran Kashmir Sangatthan (SKS) headed by its Chairman Anoop koul, National Secretary Bharat kachroo along with various other organizations held protest against brutal lathicharge on nationalist students of NIT Srinagar. SKS has also participated in march at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi. In the procession organizations like APMCC, JKVM, AIKS, Sharika Sevak, ASKPC and Kashmiri Samiti Delhi participated. SKS sought immediate arrest of the persons behind NIT incident vis-à-vis tight security arrangements for students.
Senior Congress Leader, Former Minister and General Secretary PCC Dr Manohar lal Sharma strongly lamented the BJP Government over the brutal lathi charge of police over the innocent students of NIT Srinagar and the silence of BJP-PDP Government over the issue. Dr Sharma demands a strict action against the erring police officers and a thread bare judicial inquiry by sitting High Court Judge.
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