Srinagar: The Human Resource Development Ministry (HRD) Ministry will be sending a two-member fact-finding team to NIT Srinagar on Wednesday to assess the law and order situation following unrest in the campus. The ministry officials say they are in touch with NIT's management to ensure that normalcy prevails in the campus.
At least four non-Kashmiri students sustained injuries in a police lathicharge at NIT Srinagar on Tuesday. Two companies of CRPF had to be called in to maintain calm after trouble broke out again at the campus on Tuesday.
After last week, clashes broke out again as outstation students expressed a sense of insecurity and attempted to leave the campus. Police personnel on duty at the NIT tried to reassure the students that they were safe inside the campus but when they were not pacified, the police had to resort to lathicharge in which some students got injured.
A police official claimed that when the head of the security deployment was speaking to the students, a few of them allegedly resorted to sloganeering and even pushed him around. He said the other police personnel then resorted to "lathicharge" to disperse the students who were "getting violent". The situation, however, was brought under control soon.
Outstation students, on the other hand, alleged that they were holding protests and were lathicharged by the police and not allowed to move out of the NIT gate.
"We sat on dharna and were demanding a meeting with HRD officials. We held meeting with NIT administration and they agreed to the demand. We were allowed freely to move out of the gate," said a student on conditions of anonymity. "When we were going out of the campus, police did not allow us and resorted to cane-charge resulting in injuries to several students," he claimed.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh discussed the situation with Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and assured all help from the Centre. Union Minister Jitender Singh also appealed to students to maintain calm and remain inside the campus.
As per sources, trouble started when around 400 third year non-local students stayed away from classes saying they wanted to stage a demonstration to raise academic issues with the administration.
Police were called in after the students refused to disperse even after the director gave an assurance that their complaints will be addressed. But, some of the students insisted that they wanted to take out a march outside the campus, which was disallowed by police. An officer said this was done to ensure that no clashes happened on the campus or outside.
In the evening, the students allegedly used force in a bid to go out of the campus which the police again prevented on security grounds. The students then allegedly pushed around the DSP incharge and pelted stones at the police who resorted to lathicharge.
On Friday last, the campus had witnessed clashes between local and non-local students over India's defeat in the semi-final match in the World T20 tournament. After the clashes, the NIT authorities had shut down the institute which was reopened on Tuesday. "We take responsibility of all the students of the country studying at NIT. We have put in place all the measures," Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh said.
"I appeal to the students to call on my number 09419149494 in case they have any problems on any front particularly security related. We will look into that," he added.
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