Students’ protests go on unabated

Students’ protest in Kashmir is refusing to die down despite appeals from Governor N.N. Vohra and Education Minister Altaf Bukhari. The government was forced to shut down schools and colleges even on Thursday to avert street protests.

“I have personally talked to hundreds of students and have secured the release of many students from police lockups. I assure that the government will listen to their grievances and provide them peaceful environment for their studies,” Bukhari told this newspaper, when asked what steps the government was taking to tackle the students’ protests.

When asked about the pending probe report submitted by the divisional commissioner of Kashmir, Baseer Ahmed Khan to the government regarding the main cause of the student unrest, he said that the “government will act on the report”.

It is in place to mention that the students’ unrest was provoked by the police and security forces entering the premises of Government Degree College, Pulwama, on 15 April and allegedly thrashing students, teachers and the college staff. As the pictures of students being thrashed appeared on the social media networking sites, all the educational institutions in Kashmir witnessed protests including at the university level.

Since 15 April, the government has frequently closed the educational institutions impacting the academic calendar of the students.

“On 17 April the students were demanding action against the police and the security forces for thrashing college students of Pulwama. Now students are only going for protests as the government has refused to address their primary demand,” alleged Dr Zahra Khalid, a senior assistant professor in the University of Kashmir. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has asked the police to go soft on student protests.