Rajouri, June 14: Day after around 50 students of the engineering wing were injured in police action at the Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, authorities Monday closed the hostel and the canteen in an attempt to force the agitating students to leave the campus.
While the protesting students continued their sit-in today and refused to call off the strike on the assurances of Minister of State for Power and Consumer Affairs Shabir Ahmed Khan, who visited the campus, the University authorities have postponed all the examinations for indefinite period.
The minister visited the campus and held detailed discussion with the agitating students. However, hardening their stance, the students refused to call off the strike and demanded that the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who is also the Chancellor of the University, should personally intervene in the matter.
The minister also held separate deliberations with the university authorities. However, the details of the meeting could not be ascertained.
Sources, however, told Greater Kashmir that the students called off the strike after an assurance from the minister that their grievances would be looked into. Students alleged that the Varsity authorities have sealed the canteen and hostel buildings in an attempt to force them to leave the campus. “Even the girls’ hostel has been sealed and we have been asked to leave the campus”, one of the students claimed.
Sensing more trouble, the university authorities have also postponed all the examinations for an indefinite period and have asked the students appearing in the examinations to wait for the next notification.
Pertinently BGSBU authorities have already declared 45 days summer vacations, around one month in advance.
‘VC SHOULD GO’
Tariq Ali Mir adds from Srinagar: The political and social leaders of Rajouri and Poonch districts have collectively sought the removal of the vice-chancellor of the Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University from the post for using force on students, who were on protest and demanding changes in the examination pattern.
The leaders have sought a high-level probe in the case in which atleast 50 engineering students were injured on Sunday when the personnel of Special Operations Group of the police baton-charged them and tried to forcibly evict them from the campus. The leaders from Pahari, Gojri, Rajput and Kashmiri communities have appealed the chief minister Omar Abdullah and the Congress high command to intervene in the issue and remove the VC Masood Choudary from the post.
Talking to Greater Kashmir senior leader of National Conference and the vice-chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Pahari Mashwarati Board, Mushtaq Bukhari termed the incident as human rights violation and said, “A high level investigation should be conducted into the incident and culprits should be brought before law. The vice-chancellor has already completed his term and for the past six months he is working on extension,” Bukhari said.
The former parliament member from Pir Panjal range, Choudary Talib Hussain castigated the university authorities and said, “BGSBU is the highest academic seat of the district and university authorities should handle the situation without taking law and order in hand.” He said the use of force by university authorities against its students was unjust and a bad omen for the society.
Former MLA Rajouri Muhammad Aslam Khan while expressing his concern over the use of force on the students said, “University should have differentiated between students and militants. They should have not used personnel of SOG against students to evict them from the campus.”
The congress MLC Jahangir Mir assured the students that the issue would be taken up with the Congress high command. “The use of force against innocent students will not be tolerated. Those involved in the barbaric act will be dealt with law,” he said.
The BJP district president Rajouri Kuldeep Raj Gupta said a special inquiry committee should be constituted to look into the incident.
The PDP leader and MLA Darhal, Choudary Zulfikhar said the difference between students and university authorities was a usual thing in the institutes, but the way University administration used force to muzzle the voice of students was shameful, adding that the Chief Minister has remained tight lipped over the incident.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 15 Jun 2010 00:00:00 IST