PUDUCHERRY: Pakistani student of the Pondicherry University, Ali Hassan Raza, who was attacked by unidentified persons inside his hostel room, is headed for his home country after he was given permission to leave the country by the authorities.
Raza left for Chennai on Thursday evening. He will catch a flight to Delhi and then proceed to Lahore by flight, most probably by Friday itself.
When Express caught up with Raza over phone, he said he finally got permission from the Home Ministry to leave for his home town and was being escorted by Pondicherry police personnel.
He said the case was still pending and in case his presence was needed, he would come back and co-operate with the investigation. Raza said he was returning to his country as a victor as he achieved his aim of getting the post-graduate degree and goodwill of the people.
“I think I am the victor here. Those who tried to detract me are the losers,” he told Express in a choking voice.
Raza said he would put the whole incident at the back of his mind and leave it there, thinking of it as a bad dream. He said he was thankful for all the help extended by the top police and other officials to overcome the crisis.
He thanked the students of the university for the “wonderful” time he spent inside the campus. He also thanked the South Asia Federation (SAF) for the scholarship to pursue his studies at the prestigious UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Institute for South Asia Regional Cooperation (UMISARC).
Left Writes to Prez
The Left Parties, CPM, CPI, AIFB and RSP in a memorandum urged President Pranab Mukherji to take stern action against those who masterminded the attack on Pakistani Ali Hasan Raza, a Pondicherry University student and ensure a safe and peaceful atmosphere for the students of Pondicherry Central University.
The memorandum was signed by R Viswanathan, State secretary of CPI, V Perumal, UT secretary of CPM, U Muthu, general secretary of All India Forward Bloc and K Lenin, State secretary of Revolutionary Socialist Party.
“The attack against the Pakistani student is a matter of grave concern. We, the Left parties of Puducherry condemn this attack as it tears the image of a “Peaceful Puducherry”.
It is a warning to both the Union and State governments, needless to mention that beating up of a student from Pakistan in India has bilateral, regional and international repercussions,” the leaders said.
They said that the attack on the Pakistani student was perpetuated on the final day of polling and that too, when the exit poll predictions of general elections were out, gives room for speculations of communal motivations and that a pro-Hindu organisation-backed students wing, which is active in the university may have a role.
The Left leaders charged that the incident exposed the grave security lapses in University ever since Prof Chandra Krishnamurthy took charge as the Vice-chancellor of the University.