Dramatic scenes were witnessed at the Kashmir University here on Monday as students protested against the holding of an official function a day after 20 persons were killed in Shopian district.
As the dignitaries were arriving for the J&K Science Congress at the varsity, the students held massive protests and sit-in outside the convocation complex, the venue of the function, against the killing of 13 militants and four civilians by government forces in Shopian. The students were opposing the varsity’s decision to hold the function despite a large number of killings of youth only a day ago.
The dignitaries who attended the function included Governor NN Vohra, DC Srinagar Abid Rashid, JK Bank chairman Parvez Ahmad and VC SKUAST Nazir Ahmad. Reports said ministers Sajad Lone and Imran Ansari, cricket association chief and former police officer Ashiq Bukhari were also invited but preferred not to attend because of student protests.
The university had already suspended class work and authorities locked all the gates of the campus, but eyewitnesses said the hostel boarders from Zakura hostel, M A hostel and M A K hostel assembled outside the convocation complex and raised pro-freedom slogans.
The students gave tough time to security forces deployed in large numbers on the campus as they made multiple attempts to enter the venue in a bid to stop it.
“We will not let any minister enter the university and whosoever among politicians is sitting inside should leave,” shouted the angry students.
As the security forces pushed the students back, 3 among the latter fell unconscious and were taken away in an ambulance.
University chief proctor, police officials exchanged heated arguments with the students as security forces were pushing back the protesters.
All the attempts of the authorities proved futile as students dispersed into groups of 2s and 3s, attempting to enter the convocation complex with cops chasing and pushing them all over. Several students managed to make it to the entry point of the convocation complex and held a sit-in there.
The students insisted to offer funeral prayers in absentia for the 13 militants and four civilians shot dead by government forces in Shopian on Sunday.
DC Srinagar and top police officials later watched as students offered the prayers outside the convocation complex as the function was going on.
“Are we armed militants that authorities have called large number of forces, we just want to protest against the killings,” said a student.
The students said the forces were armed with teargas shells. “It only shows that they were up for aggression.”
As these scenes were unfolding on the campus, female hostellers of the university started protesting inside the hostel, shouting anti-India and pro-freedom slogans. The hostel had been locked by the authorities since morning.
Soon the female students were seen breaking open the locks of the hostel main gate around 1:30 p.m.
The girl students took out a protest march and raised slogans.
“We want everyone to know that nothing is normal in Kashmir, unlike the state authorities who pretend normalcy,” said a protesting female student.