JAMMU: The opposition MLAs today created a ruckus and staged a walkout from the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly over the issue of an alleged assault of a Kashmiri Muslim student in Haryana.
As the House began proceedings this morning, CPI(M) MLA M Y Tarigami and NC MLA Ali Mohammed Sagar raised the issue and demanded a reply from the state government.
"This is happening repeatedly now and then with the Kashmiri students. They are being beaten despite assurances by the government. They have failed to stop the assaults," Sagar said.
The members of the NC, the Congress and the CPI(M) stood up and started protesting, asking the government to ensure the students' safety.
While raising the issue, Tarigami said such incidents had serious implications.
"The prevailing uncertain situation in Kashmir gets compounded by such incidents...This is not an isolated incident against Kashmiris.
"In the past, similar incidents have happened in Rajasthan and other states. It is a hate campaign which has been unleashed on Kashmiri Muslims outside the state and has patronage of the ruling party in the country," he alleged.
He said the House, cutting across political lines, should pass a resolution urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to condemn such incidents in Parliament.
Tarigami said Modi should a assure safe environment for Kashmiri students, businessmen, labourers and others across the country.
He should also assure the people that such heinous crimes would be probed and those found involved be punished according to the law, he added.
The opposition demanded passage of the resolution in the House which was rejected by the speaker. The MLAs staged a walkout from the House in the protest.
The student hailing from Kashmir's Sopore area was allegedly beaten up by some fellow students near the campus of a private university in Haryana's Ambala district, police said today.
The student, aged around 19 years, was thrashed by the accused in Mullana town in Ambala yesterday after which the university ordered a suspension of one of the students.
Earlier this month, two university students, residents of Jammu and Kashmir, were allegedly beaten up by some people in Haryana's Mahendergarh, following which three accused were arrested.