The Uttar Pradesh police don’t intend to harass or jail any Kashmiri student studying at the Aligarh Muslim University, a top police officer from the northern state said Monday, amid outrage over booking of two students under sedition charges for allegedly planning a funeral prayer meet for PhD scholar-turned-militant MananWani who died in gunfight in Kashmir on Thursday.
Talking to Greater Kashmir, additional director general of UP police (law and order), Anand Kumar said they don’t intend to send any Kashmiri student to jail or harass him.
“We are questioning and counseling Kashmiri students so that they do not indulge in subversive activities on the AMU campus,” he said. “We are not harassing anybody but we won’t allow anybody to take law into his hands.”
The ADGP said they are trying their best to “create conducive atmosphere” in the campus. About withdrawal of sedition charges against two Kashmiri students, Kumar said “law will take its own course.”
Kumar’s statement comes day after the governor’s administration in Jammu and Kashmir said it has taken up the matter of “harassment” of Kashmiri students at the AMU campus with the Uttar Pradesh government.
Advisor to governor on security affairs K Vijay Kumar reiterated on Monday that the matter is being looked into.
“We have taken up the matter with the UP government yesterday only. There is no fresh input. The matter is being looked into,” he said, adding that the state administration was in “constant touch” with the UP government and police.
More than 1200 Kashmiri students studying at the AMU have threatened to leave the campus en-masse on October 17 if the sedition and other charges against two Kashmiri students are not revoked.
A row erupted at the AMU when two Kashmiri students allegedly held namaaz-e-janaza (funeral prayers) for HizbulMujahideen militant Manan Bashir Wani—a former PhD scholar of the AMU—who was killed in northern Kashmir’s Handwara area on October 13. Wani, 27, had left the university in January this year and joined the militant outfit.
Meanwhile, J&K students at AMU issued a statement Monday, which read: “Fear among J&K students is increasing every passing day as more and more students are being named and framed with fake charges.”
“As the campus is turning hypersensitive, and fear is increasing, parents are calling students to return to Kashmir,” the statement read, adding: “We are firm on our stand that 1200 students at AMU will return to Kashmir in case sedition charges are not withdrawn against two Kashmiri students.”
“We will meet the alumni of AMU visiting the university to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan on 16 October and tell them our story of fear and harassment. We are feeling insecure and targeted. We are victimised for being Kashmiris. We reiterate that no law and order problem was created by Kashmiri students at AMU and all charges leveled against us are politically motivated and concocted,” the students said in the statement, and appealed to the governor Satya Pal Malik to take cognisance of the “fake charges” leveled against Kashmiri students and get these revoked.
“The governor must make arrangements for safety and security of Kashmiri students leaving AMU on 17 October in case the sedition charges are not withdrawn. We appeal to the chief ministers of UP and Delhi to make security preparations and ensure our safe return.”
PTI ADDS FROM ALIGARH
Kashmiri students studying at the Aligarh Muslim University organised a protest march on the campus Monday against slapping of sedition charges on their three peers and alleged harassment by local authorities.
The students marched from the Sir Syed Gate to the office of Vice Chancellor Prof Tariq Mansoor.
Five of the protesting students met the university registrar Abdul Hamid and handed over a memorandum alleging that they were living in a state of constant fear.
“Police filed an FIR against Wasim Malik, Abdul Mir and one unnamed person. They have been identified on the basis of a video recording,” Aligarh senior superintendent of police AjaiSahni had said.
The protesting students said in their memorandum Monday that if the sedition charges were not withdrawn, more than 1,200 Kashmiri students would leave the campus on October 17 after presenting their case during the alumni meet on October 16, as part of the Sir Syed Day celebration.
AMU registrar Abdul Hamid told mediapersons: “We have made it clear that no innocent person is going to be harassed. Any punitive action would be taken only after we receive the report of a three-member enquiry committee headed by AMU proctor Prof Mohsin Khan.”
He said there would be no witch-hunt against any student.