India-Pak match: Kashmiri students jailed despite Agra college saying ‘no anti-national’ act

Three Kashmiri students were sent to jail based on the allegations of one Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) youth wing leader despite the college denying the allegations and in turn, demanding action against the BJP workers for barging into the institute and misbehaving with the staff.

As Pakistan defeated India in a T-20 cricket match on October 24, a BJP youth wing leader filed a complaint against three Kashmiri students accusing them of shouting “anti-national” slogans which then led to an FIR being registered against them on Tuesday. However, the college authorities said that so such slogans were heard on the campus and demanded action against the BJP workers for putting pressure on the management after barging into the institute and misbehaving with the staff.

The administration of Raja Balwant Singh Engineering Technical College, which rusticated the three students on Monday, announced that the college would be shut down until action is taken against those who forcibly entered the premises on Tuesday demanding the arrest of the Kashmiri students.

Agra Circle Officer (Lohamandi) Saurabh Singh said the three students, identified as Arshad Yusuf, Inayat Altaf Sheikh and Shaukat Ahmed Ganai, were arrested late on Wednesday evening.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, the students were roughed up by the right-wing activists in police presence as they were produced in a court in Agra.

The students were initially suspended from the hostel as well as the institute.

According to the notice issued by the dean of the hostels, Dr Dushyant Singh, the students were found to be involved in ‘indiscipline’ by ‘posting status in favour of Pakistan’ after the match on October 24.

“Therefore, the hostel discipline committee has decided to suspend all three of them with immediate effect,” a statement from the college said.

Chief proctor of the institute Dr Ashish Shukla, said that the three Kashmiri students have apologised for their actions.

The students had got admission to the institute under the Prime Minister’s Special Scholarship Scheme (PMSSS), which is available for students from Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

(With inputs from IANS)