Srinagar, Feb 27: Many Kashmiri students were allegedly harassed by an angry mob at the hostel of Government Medical College Jammu late Tuesday night pointing out to the failure of the institution to provide security to valley students in wake of the spate of attacks earlier this month.
Wasim (name changed), one of the post-graduate students from Kashmir, narrated how the mob burst on the scene as the night fell.
Equipped with “sticks and iron rods”, the mob, he said, prepared for an assault against the Kashmiris and Muslim boarders of the hostel, where around 100-150 post-graduates currently put up.
“It was around half past eleven in the night when we heard the chanting of slogans like ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai and ‘Vande Matram’. Soon the sloganeering gave rise to loud noise inside the main building of the hostel,” he said.
“The sounds grew in intensity and we could hear the breaking of window panes and whacking of sticks on the doors in the corridor. Panicked, we bolted the doors of our rooms and turned off the lights,” Wasim added.
Another post-graduate student told The Kashmir Monitor over the phone that they felt cornered and helpless as the mob attempted to barge in.
“All we had to defend against the armed attack were the tables in our rooms. We pushed them against the door so that the attackers couldn’t break it open.”
The student said that the local police came in only after things had already settled down.“The strange approach of the college authorities surprises us. Instead of pacifying our frayed nerves, they inquired of the people who went on the rampage inside the hostel building. How could we identify them when we locked ourselves in the rooms?” asked Wasim.
He added, “The principal of the college came around 12:30 in the night and assured us that she will take action against the miscreants and ensure safety of the students in the future.”
Although no one suffered injuries, the students are upset with the college administration for failing to protect them and have demanded the arrest of the offenders.
“We had apprehensions a week back and tried to discuss the problem with the principal. Despite that, no security was provided to us,” Wasim explained.
Principal GMC, Jammu, Dr Sunanda Raina, did not respond to multiple phone calls.
Doctor Association of Kashmir (DAK) too condemned the attack.
“It is act of cowardice and collective shame that some goons have entered to PG hostel GMC Jammu premises and have harassed the Kashmiri medicos and vandalized hostel property in the dead of night,” DAK said in a statement.
The Association has requested the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Advisor for Health and Medical Education Department to look into the matter on urgent basis.
Many Kashmiri youths studying in various parts of India have faced harassment by angry mobs in the aftermath of February 14 Pulwama attack.
Scores of them particularly students studying in Dehradun returned to the valley, fearing the mob attacks.
The unrestricted violence was condemned by the mainstream politicians of the valley who appealed the Centre to come to the rescue of vulnerable students.
The Supreme Court had also directed chief secretaries and DGPs of states and union territories to ensure “prompt” action to prevent any incidents of violence or intimidation and social boycott of Kashmiris and other minority communities in the wake of the Pulwama attack.
