Kashmiri student assaulted at Sharda University campus

SRINAGAR: A student from Jammu and Kashmir was physically assaulted on Thursday at Sharda University in Uttar Pradesh’s Greater Noida area after a scuffle broke out between groups of Indian and Afghanistan students.

The student was identified as Ahtisham and is pursuing bachelors in Medical Imaging Technology (BMIT) at the institution was mistaken as an Afghan national by his attackers leaving him badly injured.

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According to an eyewitness, the mob of young men roughed up the Afghan students after dragging them out from an examination hall at the University. The attackers shouted ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ and communal slurs against the foreign students and demanded they be sent back to their country.

It was alleged that Thursday’s attack was in retaliating to a scuffle among two groups of students two days ago.

“There were many students shouting ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ and other communal slogans. They dragged out the Afghan students and beat them up. Guards deployed on the campus shielded some of the victims by locking them inside a room… one of the students was beaten up inside a car while being whisked away by police,” the eyewitness told IANS.

A video clipping of clash during the day was also shared on the social media on Monday.

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A senior university official denied any violence on the campus and maintained that students were only protesting and demanding action against certain Afghan students.

“There was no violence today (Thursday). Some students had gathered to demand to know what action had been taken against the erring Afghan students. We told them that we are yet to conclude our inquiry and will be ready with the report by Monday,” Dean of School of Language and Culture Pramod Kumar Mitra said.

With agency inputs