Agency
New Delhi: As many as 13 states and Union Territories UTs have appointed special nodal police officer each for addressing issues of Kashmiri students studying in their respective territory in the wake of alleged attacks on them in campuses.
The states and UTs which so far have appointed police nodal officer for Kashmiri students are Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Chandigarh, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Sikkim, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
“There have been reports of attacks on and misbehaviour with Kashmiri students studying in different states.
Appointment of nodal officer for Kashmiri students will give a sense of security and comfort to them,” a Home Ministry official said.
However, a number of states like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Maharashtra and Karnataka, where sizeable number of Kashmiri students study in different institutes, have not responded to the Union Home Ministry’s request for appointing special police nodal officer. A group of Kashmiri students was allegedly assaulted in a dental college in Jodhpur early this month in an alleged backlash after the unrest at National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Srinagar. Several students were injured in the incident.
The Home Ministry made the request to states and UTs in the wake of row at the NIT Srinagar which started after clashes occurred following India’s defeat against West Indies in the World Cup T20 semi-final match last month.
Delhi Police’s Special Commissioner (Crime) Taj Hasan is the special nodal officer for addressing Kashmiri students’ issues in the national capital.
