Kashmiri students attacked in Maharashtra
Nagpur, Feb 21: In the latest incident of assault on Kashmiri students after the Pulwama attack, students from the valley studying in a college in Yavatmal were attacked and threatened by members of the Yuva Sena, the youth wing of Shiv Sena, police said Thursday.
The attack happened Wednesday night, police said Thursday. The students were also threatened, they added.
A video of the incident has gone viral on the social media and a case has been registered at the Yavatmal police station. The students were attacked around 10 pm outside their rented accommodation on Waghapur Road, police said.
The students were from the Dayabhai Patel Physical Education College, police said.
Yavatmal SP M Rajkumar told PTI that some students from Kashmir, residing at Vaibhav Nagar under Lohara police station were attacked and threatened by some activists of Yuva Sena.
“The Kashmiri students were returning home after having dinner outside when activists of Yuva Sena intercepted them and slapped them. The video of the incident is there in the social media. The victims lodged a complaint at Lohara police station Thursday. Police identified the culprits and have also apprehended the main accused in the incident,” Rajkumar said.
A victim of the attack told media, “We were asked to say ‘Vande Mataram’ if we want to live here. They slapped us and abused us when we were returning from market Wednesday evening,” he said.
“The attackers asked us to vacate our rooms here and return to Kashmir within four days,” the student said. “We were warned that if we failed to return to Kashmir in this time frame, they will kill us,” he said. “Some members in our colony intervened and saved us,” he added.
“We have nothing to do with it (Pulwama attack). Whatever is happening is happening outside. We have come here to study. If we go back to Kashmir the situation over there is also bad. Neither can we study there nor are we being allowed to study here.
“Where will we go? We want to study here without any tension. We want to thank the police for helping us and now we are feeling a little better,” he said.
Meanwhile, a video of the attack has gone viral on social media. It shows the Yuva Sena workers asking the students where they are from. When they say they came from Kashmir, they are slapped, beaten up and threatened with dire consequences.
The assailants can be seen harassing the students and asking them if they are terrorists or if their relatives in Kashmir are terrorists and go around killing Indian soldiers.
The attackers are then seen forcing the students to shout slogans like ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Hindustan Zindabad’.
5 persons arrested for assaulting Kashmiri shawl trader
Taherpur(WB), Feb 21: Five persons were arrested for assaulting a Kashmiri shawl trader in West Bengal’s Nadia district, police said Thursday.
Javed Khan, a resident of central Kashmir’s Budgam, district, was beaten up at his shop by some persons in the Taherpur bazaar on Monday evening.
Since Khan was reluctant to lodge a police complaint, a suo motu case was started by the police and five persons were arrested on Wednesday, Superintendent of Police (Nadia) Rupesh Kumar said.
The five arrested persons were produced in a Ranaghat Court on Thursday.
The court granted bail to all the five arrested persons, police added.
IVRI takes action against 3 Kashmiri girls for ‘adverse remarks’ against Army on social media
Bareilly (UP), Feb 21: The Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) here has taken action against three Kashmiri girls for allegedly posting adverse remarks against the Indian Army on social media, a senior official said Thursday.
After the deadly Pulwama attack on February 14, these girls allegedly made some “adverse and objectionable” comments on a Whatsapp group in which other students were also members, the official said.
After the matter came to light, the institute conducted a probe and action was taken thereafter.
“The action against the three Kashmiri girl students was taken on Wednesday after a probe and local intelligence report. While fellowship of two girls has been stopped, admission of one other has been cancelled,” Registrar, IVRI, Rakesh Kumar said.
He said the two students, whose fellowship was stopped, have been warned not to indulge in any such activities in the future failing which they will be expelled.
Seven Kashmiri students were earlier this week suspended by Roorkee-based Quantum Global University for their alleged anti-national posts on social media.
