Over 500 outstation students return to NIT-Srinagar

Indian team's loss to the West Indies in the World Cup T20 semi-final led to clashes between National Institute of Technology (NIT) students in Srinagar.

The clashes erupted after outstation students from other states protested the bursting of crackers by local students when team India lost.

The authorities closed the institute until further notice because of this.

Kashmir University (KU) students organised a protest march against the violence against the Kashmiri students on the NIT campus.

A KU Students Union statement termed the NIT incident a "crafted episode".

The statement said that the clashes were "a glaring example" of how even the colleges and universities in Kashmir were being "colonised and made hostile for Kashmiri students by the Indian state".

3 days after the National Institute of Technology (NIT) was closed amidst clashes between the students, it was reopened today.

Authorities determined to reopen the institute after "the two student groups met amid deployment of a police contingent on the campus."

A Human Resource Development ministry team also arrived at the NIT campus and met its director Rajat Gupta to examine the situation.

The NIT-Srinagar campus witnessed unrest as some of the outstation students expressed a sense of danger and attempted to leave the campus.

A confrontation with the police ensued which led to a lathi charge, leaving some students injured.

The police claimed that the students had turned violent; while the students alleged that police had used force needlessly.

CRPF has been deployed to maintain peace.

The situation remained tense on the NIT Srinagar campus as outstation students protesting against Kashmiri students refused to cooperate with the HRD team sent to the campus.

The outstation students demanded that the anti-nationalist elements be punished.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh and HRD Minister Smriti Irani called up J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti who guaranteed the safety of outstation students.

Seven days after the students clashed over cricket, almost 2,000 non-Kashmiri students continued their boycott at NIT Srinagar.

The outstation students want to be 'evacuated' from the Srinagar campus and shifted to a 'safer' area outside Jammu & Kashmir.

A student from Bihar claimed that she had been intimidated by Kashmiri girls with rape if non-locals didn't quit their protest and resumed classes.

The demand of the outstation students to shift the NIT Srinagar out of Kashmir was outrightly rejected by the Union HRD ministry officials.

The announcement came after the students met with deputy CM Nirmal Singh, education minister Naeem Akhtar and Union HRD ministry officials.

The students were, however, assured that their "genuine" issues like better amenities and providing better educational atmosphere would be addressed.

A Public Interest Litigation has been filed in Jammu and Kashmir High Court seeking shifting of the NIT out of Srinagar.

Petitioner Hari Om, a former BJP leader said "Post what happened at the NIT in Srinagar, we moved a PIL in the HC which was heard by the Chief Justice."

He said he had also demanded action against the "anti-national" NIT faculty.

More than 500 outstation students of the National Institute of Technology-Srinagar have returned and rejoined classes after over three weeks of clashes between local and outstation students at the campus.

Earlier this month, after the unrest, over 1,200 outstation students had left for their hometowns.

However, in Jammu, many outstation students continued to protest for their demands which included permanent CRPF deployment at Srinagar-NIT.

Abdul Liman, Dean-Students Welfare said that CRPF personnel deployed at the campus were withdrawn, and only J&K Police security was present at NIT.

NIT notified outstation students, who had left after the unrest, could take exams from 5-8 May'16.

But, students protesting at Jammu said that they wouldn't return until their demands were met; they alleged that NIT's local-management threatened to ruin their career.