JOIN US100 students injured in clashes with forces in J&K
Nearly 100 students were injured on Monday during clashes with security forces as anger over a police raid on a college in Pulwama led to violent protests in educational institutions across Kashmir Valley.
Reports said as soon as the educational institutions opened in the morning, students of various degree colleges tried to take out marches in their respective areas against Pulwama incident in which dozens of students were injured.
Police and paramilitary troopers had to resort to teargas to disperse students, triggering day-long clashes. According to reports, nearly 100 students, including girls, were injured. Some policemen, including an officer, were also injured in the clashes.
The Kashmir University Students Union, a banned students’ body, had called for protests in the Valley against Pulwama incident where the police and CRPF troops fired pellets and teargas as they raided the college to arrest students involved in anti-India protests in the area.
“We were peacefully protesting against security forces’ action in Pulwama on Saturday. It is our democratic right to protest, but this government doesn’t allow even students to protest peacefully,” a student of Women’s College told Deccan Herald.
She said several of her colleagues fainted after police used intense teargas to disperse the protesting students. “There are reports that even some students in other colleges have been fired with pellets. Is it democracy to use pellets against students?” she asked.
The fresh violence occurred at a time when the Valley is already on the edge due to the death of eight civilians in security forces’ firing on April 9 bypoll. To control the situation, the state government ordered closure of all educational institutions on Tuesday. All the examinations scheduled for Tuesday have also been postponed.
Authorities also snapped mobile internet services across Kashmir to avoid the spreading of violence videos on social media. A police officer said the decision was taken after several provocative videos surfaced in recent days showing alleged atrocities by Army, police and paramilitary forces.
National Conference leader and former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah said that the prevailing situation is deeply worrying.