Four Kashmiri students were thrashed by fellow students from Bihar, at Mewar University in Rajasthan’s Chittorgarh following an altercation on Friday, 22 November, reported The Times of India.
One of the four students, Tahir Majeed from Kashmir’s Handwara, had to be hospitalised after he was seriously injured in the violence while the other three, Bilal Ahmad, Isfaq Ahmad Qureshi and Mohammad Ali, all received minor injuries, according to The Wire.
An altercation broke out after a gate pass was issued to a Kashmiri student and denied to a student from Bihar, the news website reported, quoting police. Even though the argument was settled by the University Dean at the time, the students from Bihar reportedly attacked the Kashmiri students later at night in the college mess.
The Kashmiri students alleged that they were insulted, beaten up and attacked with knives and rods.
Bilal Ahmad told The Wire, “The students from Bihar had behaved very rudely. They even called us terrorists.”
When the Kashmiri students wrote an application to the SHO, he refused to accept it but came to the spot and warned the accused students of possible action, The Wire reported. He was removed from his post by SP Chittorgarh for showing negligence in solving the dispute, reported TOI.
An FIR has been lodged in the case and four accused have been arrested, reported the newspaper.
Nasir Khuehami, spokesperson of the Jammu and Kashmir students’ association, called the incident ‘deplorable’ and demanded immediate steps be taken for the security of Kashmiri students at the university.
There are over 30 students from Kashmir studying at the Mewar University and many complaints of attacks have been reported at the nearest police station in the past. This is the second incident of violence against Kashmiris reported from Rajasthan after the abrogation of Article 370.