Srinagar, Aug 29: Speaker of the J&K Legislative Assembly, Mubarak Gul, Thursday asked the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and chief ministers of all states to ensure protection of Kashmiri students studying in states outside J&K.
The Speaker made the appeal a day after a group of Kashmiri students were reportedly attacked by local students at Mohali College in Punjab following a row over a cricket match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. At least 12 Kashmiri students were reportedly injured in the attack.
“This is a serious issue,” the Speaker observed. “The chief ministers of all the states should ensure protection of Kashmiri students in their states.”
He appealed to Rajnath Singh to look into the issue and write to the Chief Ministers to take the matter seriously.
The issue was raised by opposition Peoples Democratic Party member Peerzada Mansoor Hussain.
Quoting a report in Thursday’s edition of Greater Kashmir, Mansoor said on Wednesday Kashmiri students were attacked in a Mohali college. “There is no end to the attacks on Kashmiris who are either studying or running their business in outside states,” he said. “Today India is growing more intolerant to Kashmir.”
In the past few years, a number of incidents have taken place wherein Kashmiri students were attacked by local students in different states. Earlier this year, a college in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, cancelled the admission of four Kashmiri students following the fight between the local and Kashmiri students over a cricket match between India and Pakistan.
The Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has on a number of occasions taken up with the union government and the chief ministers of the states the security of Kashmiri students studying outside. “These appeals will not help in anyway. Nobody from outside Kashmir will ever respond to the concerns shown either by you (Speaker) or the chief minister,” said independent legislator Er Abdur Rashid. “Kashmiris have been facing victimization outside the state for long now.”