Valley lockdown: Frantic calls from Kashmiri students to control rooms after running out of money

The two control rooms set up in Delhi and Dehradun have been ringing endlessly ever since they were set up a week back.
A Security person checks the identity card of a driver during curfew like restrictions following abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 in Srinagar Wednesday August 14 2019. | PTI
A Security person checks the identity card of a driver during curfew like restrictions following abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 in Srinagar Wednesday August 14 2019. | PTI

CHANDIGARH: The two control rooms set up in Delhi and Dehradun have been ringing endlessly ever since they were set up a week back. Frantic Kashmiri students from all over have been calling, anxiously to connect to the Valley. Many just want to connect with family. Many have run out of money and are in dire need.

“We have been receiving over 500 calls per day at either control room,” said the J&K Students Association founder and spokesperson Nasir Khuehami.

“Most calls are from students seeking to get in touch with their families in the Valley or for financial support.”  

Khuehami said the control rooms with the helpline numbers 9149676014 and 7889529467, besides the WhatsApp group, were set-up to ease the hardships of Kashmiri students. 

Vice-president Haroon Rashid said, “The calls we get are mainly from UP, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.” He said, most callers want help to connect them back home. It is through such calls that they realised many had run out of money and needed help right away.

“We are calling for public donations,” said Rashid.   

Nasir said in cases where Kashmiris are fearful “we try to calm them down. We also tell them to avoid any provocative posts on social media”.

Ready to visit without any conditions: Rahul to Guv

A day after J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik withdrew the invitation to Rahul Gandhi to visit the Valley for putting “preconditions”, the latter said he was ready to come without any conditions.

“Dear Maalik ji, I saw your feeble reply to my tweet. I accept your invitation to visit Jammu & Kashmir and meet the people, with no conditions attached. When can I come?” he tweeted.

Rahul has asked for freedom to meet people. 

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