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Punjabi student beaten up in Hyderabad varsity
HYDERABAD/BHOPAL: ABVP activists beat up a Punjabi research scholar pursuing an M.Phil degree from the University of Hyderabad after allegedly mistaking him to be
HYDERABAD/BHOPAL: ABVP activists beat up a Punjabi research scholar pursuing an M.Phil degree from the University of Hyderabad after allegedly mistaking him to be from the Valley while a Kashmiri student was thrashed in Bhopal, the latest in a string of attacks on students from Jammu and Kashmir.
In Hyderabad, a group of 20-25 Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad members attacked 25-year-old Amol Singh who was on his way back after a protest against alleged police atrocities in Kashmir late on Saturday, sources said. “They knocked me down, started to punch me on my face and stomach, and hit my knees. My friends and I tried to run away into the hostel and they chased us,” Singh said.
He said the activists apparently mistook him for his senior Bilal, who was from Kashmir. Singh’s beard and complexion resembled that of Bilal.
Other students from Singh’s hostel alleged that while guards witnessed the attack, they did not intervene. “ABVP students barged into the hostel saying: Where is Bilal? We will teach a lesson to that anti-national,” said Munna, staying in the same hostel.
But ABVP leader N Sushil Kumar rejected the allegations and said Singh and his friends attacked ABVP students who were taking out a bike rally in protest against the violence in Kashmir.
In Bhopal, doctoral student Umar Rashid was allegedly attacked by two people inside the campus of the Barakatullah University after he told them he hailed from Kashmir’s Pampore.
“When they started beating me, I held my ears seeking forgiveness just to save myself but they thrashed me brutally in front of security guards,” said Rashid. “One of them said we were responsible for the poor condition of Kashmir.”
Student Shahbez Ali, who was present with Rashid, said, “He was talking to someone over the phone. They called me first and asked about my whereabouts. Later, they called Rashid and after knowing he is from Kashmir, they beat him up. I managed to save him.”
“He was in an unconscious state. I took him to a mosque on the campus. We called a professor and other Kashmiri students. The professor asked us to take him to the hospital,” said Ali. After first aid, Rashid was released from hospital.
Despite having knowledge of the incident, university administration didn’t help Rashid. Kashmiri students later staged a demonstration for five hours in front of the vice-chancellor’s office.
Another student from Kashmir, Irfan Rashid, said, “We want security. We came to Bhopal as we feel safe here but this incident has worried us. We got surprised with the reaction of the administration as they didn’t even pay attention to this incident.”
But MD Tiwari, BU vice chancellor, said, “The Kashmiri students are lying. There was jostling among students present near the administration building but the Kashmiri students are trying to give a different colour to the whole issue.”
“We have tightened security and also held a meeting with the proctor, registrar, dean of student welfare and the head of the department to discuss the issue,” Tiwari added.
These incidents follow violence in Kashmir after the death of Hizbul militant Burhan Wani. The violence has triggered sharp reaction from other parts in the country as well, with several protests against the allegations of human rights violations by state forces held in Kolkata, Delhi and Bengaluru.
