SRINAGAR: The students of a government college in volatile south Kashmir district of Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday staged protests and clashed with the security personnel over hoisting of tri-colour in the college campus.
The police organized a sports festival in Boys Degree College Anantnag in south Kashmir today. Large number of students include female students were to participate in the sports festival.
Everything was going well and there was enthusiasm among the students to excel in different fields of sports activity today.
However, the situation took an ugly turn when the students objected and resisted an attempt by police to unfurl tri-colour before start of the sports festival in the college premises.
The students protested against hoisting of the tri-colour and indulged in anti-India sloganeering.
The students stormed the podium and ransacked chairs and canopies and set on fire hoardings and a tent erected for the event. A part of the podium was also set on fire by the protesting students.
The students waved green flag during the protest.
Amidst anti-India sloganeering, the students pelted stones on the police personnel in the campus. The cops resorted to heavy tear gas shelling and baton charge to disperse the stone pelting students.
The ding dong battles between the students and policemen continued in the college campus for over an hour.
As the clashes persisted, additional police and CRPF men were rushed to the college campus to disperse the protesting students.
South Kashmir comprising four districts of Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam, which was once considered stronghold of ruling PDP, was the epicenter of anti-government protests during over five month long unrest in the Valley last year after killing of Hizb commander Burhan Wani on July 8, 2016.
The South Kashmir has also emerged as stronghold of militants and over 120 militants are active in the region. Most of the 135 militants killed in encounter with security forces this year were killed in south Kashmir.
20 cell phones recovered during police raid on jail
Police conducted a surprise raid on Baramulla Jail in north Kashmir last night and recovered at least 20 mobile phones from the detainees.
A police spokesman said a raid was conducted by police during intervening night of August 22/23 in Sub Jail Baramulla after receiving inputs that some inmates were unauthorizedly using mobile phones.
"During the raid, 20 cell phones and some incriminating material was recovered from the possession of detainees," he said.
He said a case has been registered and investigation taken up to ascertain how the mobile phones and other articles, not authorized as per jail manual, were smuggled into the jail by detainees.
"Police is also probing the role of jail staff,” the spokesman said.
This is not the first time that mobile phones have been recovered from detainees in Baramulla jail. Earlier, also mobile phones were seized from prisoners in the jail.