Kashmiri students sought transfer to native state over harassment allegation

NEW DELHI: After a student from Jammu and Kashmir thrashed by locals over allegations of harassing a girl, dozens of Kashmiri students studying in a college situated on Delhi-Saharanpur highway in Baghpat district sought transfer to their native state.

According to Times Of India reports, the incident took place on Tuesday night at Syadwad Institute of Higher Education and Research during a college function.

Police sources told the media that some local youths barged into the institute after allegations of eve-teasing against a Kashmiri student was raised. The youths also thrashed the student and even destroyed hostel property.

The student identified as Aquib Hussain refute the allegations and said that the attack was because of their ethnicity. “We are here to equip ourselves with some technical training. The allegations of eve-teasing are false,” he said.

“We were targeted only because we are Kashmiri. Those goons even told us that we will not be allowed to stay in the hostel and they will come for us again. Those goons equipped with knives and stones entered our hostel and indulged in vandalism. We and our teachers tried to save Aquib but those men were hell-bent upon attacking him. It was only after police arrived that things could be brought under control. We have been threatened by those men and hence we want a transfer to some centre in J&K,” said Mohd Shakeel, another Kashmiri student.

Police, however, said the clash was a result of some misunderstanding and there was no Kashmiri angle involved.

Ranvijay Singh, Additional Superintendent of Police,Baghpat said, “The incident occurred on Tuesday night after which we and management of the college jointly brought both factions together and a compromise was arrived at. No one is leaving the college now and we have assured full protection to the students here. No FIR was filed in the matter either.”