Normalcy Returns in NIT Srinagar, Over 700 Outstation Students' Return
SRINAGAR: After two weeks of unrest, normalcy has returned to National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar with over 700 non-local students having joined back and CRPF withdrawing its men from the campus.
55 students were given job placement orders on Thursday after having appeared in on-campus recruitment process.
“Normalcy has returned in the campus. All academic activities have resumed and are going on,” Director NIT Srinagar Rajat Gupta told Express.
He said there is total normalcy in the campus. “In hostels also, local and non local students are staying peacefully”.
NIT Srinagar reopened on Monday (April 25) after remaining closed for 10 days due to turmoil in the campus over India’s loss to West Indies in WorldT20 semi final match last month.
The outstation students had clashed with the local students on April 1 after “celebrations” by them over India’s loss in WorldT20 semifinal. However, the tension flared up on April 5 when police resorted to baton charge to disperse non-local students after they attempted to hoist tri-colour on main gate of the institute and tried to stage protest rally outside the campus.
After the police lathi-charge, the outstation students had boycotted the classes and demanded evacuation of all non-local students, shifting of campus to any other part outside Valley, action against the policemen involved in lathi charge and external evaluation of their exam papers.
The outstation students were allowed to return to their homes to have a break and miss the minor-I examination held from April 11-16. They were given the opportunity to appear in the examination later.
“Over 700 non local students have returned and are attending the classwork,” Gupta said.
He said the students are busy in preparing for minor-I examination, which they missed on April 11-16 will now be held from May 5-8.
Asked whether some outstation students don’t return and don’t appear in the examination, NIT Director said that question does not arise.
“All the students will return by Sunday and there is no question of them missing the examination,” he said.
Gupta said they have given students enough time and there is no excuse for them not to appear in the examination.
“A student from Bihar was injured and can avail a medical leave. He can abstain but rest will appear,” he said.
Gupta asserted that normalcy has returned to campus and special lectures by eminent personalities were also conducted.
“Today, 55 students got placement orders after they had appeared in the on-campus recruitment process,” he said.
In view of improvement in the situation in the campus, CRPF has withdrawn its men from the institute.
“We have withdrawn our men from the campus five to six days after their deployment,” CRPF spokesman in Srinagar Ashish Jha said.
He said the men were withdrawn after restoration of normalcy in the campus.
Authorities had deployed five companies of paramilitary CRPF and SSB in the campus after unrest and violence in the campus.
Meanwhile, the Board of Governors (BoGs) of NIT Srinagar are likely to meet before May 20 to decide whether to allow student politics in the campus.
The BoGs will decide about formation of students council and its modalities.
After the unrest in NIT, PDP-BJP government in the State had ordered magisterial probe into the unrest while the Institute had also ordered the internal probe.