Noida police sensitising colleges, students about J&K issue

Noida: In the wake of Article 370 being scrapped and heightened tensions surrounding the move, especially in Jammu and Kashmir, the Noida police is in the process

Noida: In the wake of Article 370 being scrapped and heightened tensions surrounding the move, especially in Jammu and Kashmir, the Noida police is in the process of issuing advisories to college managements and principals in the district to sensitise students against rumours.

HT Image

The Union government on Monday revoked Article 370 that gave a special status to Jammu and Kashmir. With many taking to social media, to support and oppose the move, and several rumours flying around about the future of the valley and its residents, police said a sensitising exercise was necessary to prevent any untoward incident, especially on campuses.

“In order to avoid any sort of conflict, we are issuing advisories to the management of various colleges and universities and asking principals to sensitise students regarding this. We don’t want any student to be unnecessarily targeted and it is important to understand the sensitivity of the subject,” senior superintendent of police Vaibhav Krishna said.

He said students need to avoid any sort of confrontation, be it verbal or on social media, and avoid unnecessary provocation. He also said so far, there has not been any law and order issue in the district but the police are on high alert.

Superintendent of police (rural) Kumar Ranvijay Singh on Tuesday met officials of private universities in Greater Noida.”They have assured us that they are keeping an eye on the situation and nothing untoward will happen. Meanwhile, we are also taking all sorts of preventive measures,” Singh said.

Superintendent of police (city) Vineet Jaiswal on Tuesday addressed students of Amity university, Noida, regarding the same.

“There are nearly 350 Kashmiri students in Noida and Greater Noida. So I wanted to talk to them about staying away from unverified content on social media. A lot of rumours are spread online and it is important to ignore them. We requested the students to stay away from unnecessary debates and if there is any issue, they should immediately report it to the faculty or the management,” Jaiswal said.

In addition, he spoke to the students about the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, issues of ragging, harassment, etc on campuses.

A spokesperson for Amity said the SP advised students to support their fellow students and create an environment of safety. “He cautioned students to not fall into the trap of fake news or rumour-mongering and refrain from spreading the same, which may cause disturbance in any part of the country. He called upon youngsters to take up the moral responsibility to create a positive environment,” the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, police said due legal action will be taken against anyone involved in nefarious activities related to the matter.