Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, May 18: Hundreds of students today clashed with police against alleged beating and misbehavior with their colleagues after a passenger bus they were boarding was challaned by cops in Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district. The clashes left scores of students and policemen including an officer injured.
Reports said an over-crowded passenger bus, mostly boarded by boys and girls College students, was stopped by cops near Kheer Bhawani Police Station in Ganderbal district this morning. “The policemen questioned the bus driver for overloading and started to challan him. However, the students intervened and urged policemen to let the driver go,” they said.
“Suddenly there was heated exchange of words between students and police and the cops thrashed some of the students while they also misbehaved with girl students which infuriated the students,” said a student, adding that the angry students marched towards Ganderbal town.
After reaching Tawheed Chowk in Main Town, the students were joined by their counterparts of Degree College and other schools and they staged massive protest against the police and sought action against ‘erring’ cops. With situation turning tense, senior police officers rushed to the spot and tried to pacify the protesting students. However, they were adamant and continued the protest.
The students raised anti-government and anti-police slogans. In the meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal also rushed to the spot and tried to pacify protesting students. However, the students didn’t listen to him also and attempted to march towards mini-Secretariat at Behama.
As the students started March, police personnel deployed resorted to cane charge. The students in return resorted to massive stone-pelting ensuing clashes between the two sides. Police lobbed dozens of teargas shells towards the protesting students. The clashes were so intense that the Town wore the look of a battleground while trade and transport activities came to halt.
Reports said over 20 students were injured in the clashes while several girl students fell unconscious due to tearsmoke. They were immediately removed to the nearby hospital their condition is stated to be stable. Besides, 12 policemen including Station House Officer Ganderbal also sustained minor injuries. Several journalists who were covering the clashes accused police of thrashing them as well.
Superintendent of Police Ganderbal, Imtiyaz Ismail, told Excelsior that the students wanted police not to challan the driver who violated law by overloading. “They interfered in the working of police… but none of them was beaten or humiliated. The students despite repeated pleas didn’t listen either to police or DC and resorted to stone-pelting. But we exercised maximum restraint,” he said.
The SP said police will identify the “miscreants” who started stone-pelting and legal action against them shall be initiated. “We will register a case and accordingly take action,” he said. When asked why scribes were targeted, he said: “They were not beaten deliberately.”
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