By Meer Irfan
Kashmiri students studying outside the Kashmir region, hav reported harassment, threats, and physical assault from some parts of India.
Images shared with The Kashmiriyat from Punjab show a youth—pursuing BSc Nursing at Gian Sagar Medical College, Banur, Chandigarh—injured in his back after being assaulted by a group of non-local students. The student, a resident of Sopore in north Kashmir, was reportedly attacked inside his flat.
“Around 3 AM, they came to our flat. They were abusing us. We requested them not to do it. But they pulled one of my friends out and beat him so badly… we were helpless,” said Bhat, his roommate. “They were more than ten, all from Haryana.”
Meanwhile, in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, Kashmiri students have been asked to vacate their rented accommodations by landlords, prompting concerns over coordinated acts of intimidation.
In Dehradun, students enrolled at the Alpine Group of Colleges reported being forced out of their homes.
Tensions spiked further after Lalit Sharma, associated with the Hindu Raksha Dal, issued an open threat, demanding that all Kashmiri Muslims leave Uttarakhand by Thursday.
“Our teams will go on rounds and deal with any Kashmiri Muslim in their own way,” he warned in a circulated video.
Chief Minister of Jammu Kashmir Omar Abdullah said that he is closely monitoring the situation. ‘The J&K government is in touch with the governments of the states where these reports are originating from. I’m also in touch with my counterpart Chief Ministers in these states & have requested they take extra care,” he said.
Despite reassurances, an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty continues to grip Kashmiri students across several northern states.
This story was originally published in thekashmiriyat.co.uk.
