Kashmiri students allege assault in Karnataka college

Srinagar: A group of Kashmiri students in Karnataka have alleged assault by some non-Kashmiri students inside their hostel premises Thursday night. The students study at Ghousia College of Engineering, Ramanagaram, 45 km from Bangalore city in Karnataka.

The students claimed that two of them have been injured in the ‘attack’ following which they [Kashmiri students] lodged an FIR.

“Last night [Thursday] we were attacked by non-Kashmiri students who are almost 400 in number in our hostel,” a student Saqib Nazir who claimed to be one of the victims said.

He said that the college administration compiled them [Kashmiri students] to apologize to the ‘guilty’. “After the attack the faculty and administration made us apologize them although we were the victims and they were guilty.”

“We did apologize, but this morning [Friday] when we were sleeping they came with all the armour to kill some of our colleagues but somehow we restrained in fighting back,” he said.

Saqib said that they referred to police and filed an FIR in this regard; however he alleged that police and administration “played a game” with them.

“We are in trouble, and nobody is with us,” he said claiming that there are thirty-three Kashmiri students in the college hostel.

Vice-principal of the college, Mr. Anjum said that the college administration has appointed an inquiry committee in this regard. “Action will be taken against the guilty”, he said adding that he cannot blame any of the parties until the inquiry committee completes its investigation.

The vice-principal said that the non-Kashmiri students involved in the contention are “absconding” since they lodged the FIR while the Kashmiri students are there in the hostel.

Sources said that a similar enmity had developed among some students of the college few years back when some Kashmiri students had beaten a non-Kashmiri student resulting in rivalry.