Jadavpur University students get hate calls for offering to help Kashmiri students
KOLKATA: A group of Jadavpur University students are allegedly being "threatened and harassed" over phone for putting up a Facebook post saying they are willing to help Kashmiri students in the city, according to one of the victims on Wednesday.
The university's Arts Faculty Students' Union (AFSU) had published an e-poster on Facebook around 10 a.m. on Tuesday urging the students from Jammu and Kashmir, studying in the university and surrounding institutions, to get in touch with them in case of any distress following the recent political developments. It said they would be "happy to help in any way possible".
Four students, including two girls, whose mobile numbers were mentioned in the poster, allegedly have received threatening calls since Tuesday with callers making "obscene and abusive comments". They were also asked to remove the post.
The students have lodged a complaint at the Jadavpur police station and submitted a letter to the university vice-chancellor narrating the chain of events. They demanded that the callers be identified and put behind bars.
"We have received calls from weird numbers, having just three-four digits like '+30104', '+5044', with some making obscene and weird proposals, like asking us to get married to them. Some made sexually offensive comments too," Ushashi Pal, a philosophy student at JU, told IANS.
"It's obvious they are trying to threaten and harass us. Common people don't have three-four digit numbers that cannot be identified. It seems to be a well-planned move to disturb us since we are willing to help Kashmiris," she said.
"While they are trying to harass female students by making obscene comments, they threatened us with dire consequences and even asked us to shout 'Jai Hindu Rashtra'. We know people from the BJP are behind this. They have been spreading hatred and communalism everywhere," said Devraj Debnath, whose name and number was also mentioned in the poster.
He said despite the threats they were willing to help Kashmiri students on the campus with accommodation in the university hostels or mess facilities.
Asking strict action against them, they urged the police to ensure their security.