New Delhi: A Dehradun based group, Uttarakhand Citizens Initiative, has spoken out against the violence faced by Kashmiri students in Dehradun over the last three days.
On Saturday, several Kashmiri students were assaulted and forced to leave their rented accommodations in the city when mobs organised by right wing organisations such as the Bajrang Dal launched an offensive.
“We have lost three sons from Uttarakhand in the attacks. Kashmiris must leave Dehradun. We are warning them and those who give them shelter,” Vikas Verma, convenor of the Bajrang Dal in Dehradun told The Wire.
Upon the campaign of the Bajrang Dal, two institutes in Dehradun have announced that they will not be admitting students from Kashmir come the next academic year, reported the Indian Express.
Also read: Fear Grips Trapped Kashmiri Students in Dehradun Amidst Bajrang Dal Offensive
“Around 400-500 people from ABVP, VHP, and Bajrang Dal protested in front of the institute between 1 pm and 5pm. They asked us to assure them that all the Kashmiri students would be expelled from BFIT. I tried explaining that expelling students mid-term would affect their careers. Finally, keeping in mind the safety of the Kashmiri students, I had to give in writing that we won’t accept any Kashmiri student from the next session,” Aslam Siddiqui, principal of Baba Farid Institute of Technology (BFIT) told the English language daily.
The Uttarakhand Citizens Initiative has condemned the act. “Some self-styled groups/organisations have deliberately tried to vitiate the peaceful and inclusive character of Dehradun,” it said.
The group also said that the action by the institutes is in violation of the constitution and urged the government of Uttarakhand to step in. “We request the government of Uttarakhand to take strict action against the self-styled groups/organisation, which are bringing a bad name to our state of Uttarakhand,” the group said.