Protest against Kashmiri students' arrest

Union Water Resource Minister Professor Saifuddin Soz took up the matter with Karnataka Chief HD Kumaraswamy and Police Chief KR Srinivasan on Thursday.

The arrest of Kashmiri students in Banglore has evoked resentment among political and public circles equally. While protest against these arrests continued for the second day on Thursday, Union Water Resource Minister Professor Saifuddin Soz took up the matter with Karnataka Chief HD Kumaraswamy and Police Chief KR Srinivasan.

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Soz said that both the chief minister and the DGP assured him that the matter would be sorted out and FIR against the students would be withdrawn. "The DGP is also visiting the college to organise a joint meeting of the two clashing groups of the students," Soz said.

A scuffle was reported between a Kashmiri and Bihari student in the Gousiya Engineering College Ramanagar on some trivial issue. It, however, took a serious turn when other Bihari students joined the brawl by attacking all the Kashmiri students in the hostels room. The relatives and parents of Kashmiri students said that the Kashmiri students were left with no choice but run away from their hostel room for Banglore.

They said that the fleeing students approached the police for protection, who in turn, lodged them in the lock-up. They alleged that the Karnataka police has framed them in false cases. They, for the second consecutive day, held protest demonstration in the capital Srinagar on Thursday alleging that the Karnataka police was harassing Kashmiri boys.

Raising slogans against the Karnataka police for the discrimination against Kashmiri students, they sought the intervention of Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to ensure the release of the students.