‘Cut Off & Unaware’: Kashmiri Students On Ongoing Job Placements

The engineering college has been closed since two days before Article 370 was abrogated on 5 August.

Abrupt closing of NIT Srinagar after abrogation of Article 370 could jeopardise the future of more than 500 BTech students.

(Photo: Aroop Mishra/ The Quint)

Video Editor: Varun Sharma, Vishal Kumar, Purnendu Pritam

Two days before Article 370 was scrapped in Kashmir, the National Institute of Technology (NIT), in Srinagar, was shutdown indefinitely and students were asked to vacate campus. After more than 45 days now, the engineering college continues to be shutdown, jeopardising job prospects for its 500 students.

This is because most students, especially from Kashmir, have been left in the dark about an interim recruitment drive put in place in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.

Only 140 students have made their way to the placement cell of which only five or six are Kashmiri students.

At BSNL’s ALTTC (Advanced Level Telecom Training Centre) in Ghaziabad, industry representatives are conducting tests and interviewing students from NIT Srinagar.  

Kashmiri Students in the Dark About Placement Drive

“I’m very concerned that many of my batchmates in J&K are not aware of the job opportunities. They are in a total communication blackout. They have been sent back to the stone age with no communication channels whatsoever.”

Asif* (*name changed), student

Asif, a final year student of electronic engineering, had no knowledge about the alternative arrangement for placement in Ghaziabad.

As days passed after the lockdown in Kashmir, Asif grew restless. He was keen to fill the GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) form in the midst of uncertainty regarding campus placement.

Since most of the forms are filled online these days, Asif decided to come to Delhi. As soon as he reached the capital, his phone was abuzz with WhatsApp messages from his batchmates about the job interview.

“When I was back home (in Kashmir) there I only had an idea that I had to submit my GATE form. I needed internet to upload my form. So I came to Delhi for that particular reason. As soon as I landed here, I was flooded with messages from my WhatsApp group.”

Asif, student

Non-Kashmiri Students Worried About Curriculum

The non-Kashmiri students from NIT Srinagar have their own set of worries. With the final semester being disrupted midway, students are concerned if their course will complete on schedule.

“Our next semester was supposed to start from August. Now one month has already. The college authorities will now arrange classes during winter vacations so that our curriculum can be completed.”

Hitesh Kumar, Campus Recruitment Coordinator

Even as campus recruitment coordinators or student representatives are trying to spread the word about placements, many have not been able to make it to Ghaziabad yet.

“Many students have family problems and can’t afford to live here. It costs approximately Rs 7,000-8,000 per month for one person to stay here.”

Ankit, Computer Science student, NIT Srinagar

While the ALTTC is patting itself on its back for doing their bit towards rehabilitating Kashmiri students, these budding engineers from NIT Srinagar are growing more and more restless about their careers.