Kashmiri students at AMU allege harassment, attacks; write to Amit Shah for probe

File photo of Aligarh Muslim University. | Picture: Wikimedia Commons


Students from Kashmir at the Aligarh Muslim University have been protesting against the alleged harassment faced by them on campus.

Huneza Khan | TwoCircles.net


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ALIGARH (UTTAR PRADESH) – A student body Jammu & Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) in Aligarh has written to Home Minister Amit Shah, demanding a ‘time-bound inquiry’ into the repeated attacks against Kashmiri students to ascertain “facts and nefarious designs” behind the harassment.

In a statement, Nasir Khuehami, convenor of JKSA, said, “The AMU administration needs to initiate criminal proceedings against those who are indulging in targeted harassment of Kashmiri students.”

On Tuesday, a purported video surfaced showing Kashmiri students being attacked by a group of men. In the clip, one of the attackers is seen brandishing a pistol.

Aligarh SSP Kalanidhi Naithani, said, “There has been no complaint so far. No one has been found to be injured and the university administration is looking into the matter.”

Deputy proctor of AMU, Syed Ali Nawaz Zaidi, said, “The matter is being probed. Action will be taken against those seen handling weapons and creating a disturbance on campus. The allegation that Kashmiri students are being targeted is wrong.”

According to the Kashmiri students, “This is the fourth such attack on students from Kashmir this month. There are over 1,400 students from Kashmir at AMU and we frequently face harassment. On minor issues, students barge into the rooms of the Kashmiri students and beat us up.”

Students from Kashmir at the Aligarh Muslim University have been protesting for three days against the alleged harassment faced by them on campus.

The protests started after a December 25 incident when a PhD scholar from Kashmir was allegedly thrashed by other students for requesting them not to play badminton at 1 a.m. on the hostel premises.

A delegation of the Jammu & Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) also met Aligarh MP Satish Gautam and demanded “safety and security”.

Huneza Khan is a student and a budding journalist from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. She tweets @KhanHuneza

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