A scuffle broke out between a group of Kashmiri students and those from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar at an engineering institute in Punjab’s Sangrur district following the T20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan, the police said on Monday.
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said he was distressed to hear about the alleged physical assault of some Kashmiri students and urged Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi to look into the matter.
The incident took place after some slogans were raised after the match on Sunday night, the police said.
The Kashmiri students and the students from U.P. and Bihar were watching the match on television in their respective rooms at the Bhai Gurdas Institute of Engineering and Technology in Sangrur.
The Kashmiri students allegedly cheered for Pakistan and raised some slogans, which did not go well with other students.
Heated exchanges took place between the two sides. A video clip surfaced on social media purportedly showing a Kashmiri student alleging that some students from U.P. barged into their room and assaulted them.
The police later said the issue has been resolved.
In a tweet, J&K former CM Abdullah said, “It is distressing to hear about the incidents of physical & verbal assault against some Kashmiri students in a college in Punjab last night. I request @CHARANJITCHANNI ji to direct @PunjabPoliceInd to look in to this & also to reassure the students studying in Punjab.”
J&K Students’ Association spokesperson Nasir Khuehami urged Mr. Channi to take action in the matter and ensure security to the Kashmiris studying and working in the State. He alleged that the Kashmiri students were thrashed by the students from Bihar and U.P. Their rooms were vandalised, he alleged in a statement.
Youth Cong. support
Meanwhile, some members of the Punjab Youth Congress met the Kashmiri students. “Important to give them a shoulder and assurance of safety, our DYC president Gobinder and DYC Incharge Deep Tiwana on direction of @IYCPunjab president @brinderdhillon met them and assured them of all support as this is very much their home, even if away from native place,” the Punjab Youth Congress said in a tweet.
