Aaryan Sharma
JAMMU: The BJP-PDP alliance government headed by Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday faced an embarrassing situation after the state police registered two separate FIRs’ against the NIT students less than 24 hours after the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh gave separate assurances to the Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani regarding safety of NIT students inside the campus.
Interestingly when PDP Chief was leader of the opposition, she had accused the then Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for registering cases against the students and labeling them as stone-pelters.
Over 1800 stone pelters were also released and cases against them were withdrawn under the 2011 Amnesty scheme announced by Omar Abdullah as Chief Minister to give another opportunity to them to return to mainstream.
Under attack from different quarters, the state police also released video footage of protesting students damaging property on the campus.
Meanwhile, DGP K Rajendra visited Srinagar to take stock of the situation. Deputy CM also arrived in Srinagar but NIT students refused to attend meeting with him.
The students took out a protest march with placards listing three demands which included, immediate evacuation from the NIT campus, shifting of NIT to any other location and registration of FIR against the police for beating students.
According to police spokesman,” the Police has registered two separate FIRs regarding the incidents of the violence that took place on NIT Srinagar campus on last Friday and Tuesday”.
The first FIR was registered against unknown persons for the clashes between outstation and local students on April 1, a day after India lost to West Indies in the semi-final of the World T20 Cup.
The police has invoked sections 148 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 427 (mischief), 336 (endangering life of others) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) for the clashes between local and outstation students that took place on Friday, a police official said.
In the second FIR registered on April 5, the police, besides slapping the charges of the previous FIR, has added sections 353 (assault on public servant) and 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant).
While no one has been named in the two FIRs yet, the official said police is investigating the video evidence of the violence that took place on the days of incidents.
Police also released video clippings showing non-local students attacking the cops with stones and damaging property at the campus.
The video, shot on Tuesday when trouble restarted in the campus, shows a large number of non-local students protesting against the NIT administration and trying to march towards the main gate of the campus.
