JAMMU: The situation in Srinagar’s National Institute of Technology still remains tense as the anxious parents are not able to contact their wards despite assurances from the newly-formed Jammu and Kashmir Government and the Centre.
Kuldeep Rajan, the father of one of the NIT students, told ANI that the children are stuck in the campus for the last ten days, adding that they are not feeling safe.
“The FIRs lodged against the students are absolutely wrong. They are committing atrocities on our children. Neither the state government is doing anything nor the Centre. Our children are stuck there from the last ten days. There are no proper facilities of food and water,” he said.
“They are really scared. We want that their demands should be accepted. They have even cut down the internet connections. We are not even able to contact our children,” he added.
Parminder Kaur, the mother of one of the other students, said that she is so worried about the safety of her child that she is having sleepless nights.
“We are very worried about the safety of our children. We just want the administration to ensure their safety. We want their demands should be met,” she said.
It is reported that around five companies of the central paramilitary forces numbering 600 soldiers are guarding about 1,500 students. Non local students inside the campus are boycotting the classes in protest against the police and administration.
Many students staged a protest today and tried to come out of the main gate of campus to interact with media-persons but the police held them inside the campus and did not to allow them to march towards the main gate.
It is reported that the police have blocked the main road of campus, with police vehicles parked to block camera view for the media.
The state government had on Thursday instituted an enquiry, which would be submitting its report within 15 days on the police baton-charge in the NIT campus.
Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Irani had on Wednesday said that her ministry officials are in the varsity campus to ensure that all of their issues are looked into while asserting that safety of students was her prime concern.
A fact-finding team of the HRD Ministry visited the institute's campus yesterday for an on the spot assessment of the situation.
The two-member team comprising a Director level and a Deputy Secretary level officer also spoke to the students to get their version of the events.
Tension simmered in the NIT campus last week after India lost the World T20 semi-final to the West Indies.
Some engineering students from outside the state claimed Kashmiri students had chanted anti-India slogans and burst firecrackers after India's defeat.