JAMMU: Describing the NIT row as explosive which brought disgrace to the nation, a contingent of Panther party activists led by Harsh Dev Singh and other leaders staged a protest demonstration in support of the NIT students here at Exhibition Ground on Tuesday.
Lambasting the State Government for its lackadaisical and insouciant approach to resolve the issue, Harsh Dev Singh regretted that while the people of India and the student fraternity in particular were boiling with rage, the State Government remained apathetic terming the issue as minor and trivial. He further said that the neglect of both the Central and State Governments in handling the issue could be gauged by the postponement of the scheduled meeting of Parliamentary Consultative Committee of HRD in Srinagar on Wednesday which was to be attended by Union Minister MHRD Samriti Irani and several MP’s due to unknown reasons. He also flayed the contemptible posturing of Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh who was making absurd and obnoxious statements aggravating the fury of students and the parents of the students.
Lampooning the BJP-PDP Government for its despicable disregard for the most genuine concerns of the students, Singh deplored the imposition of sec 144 of CrPC inside the NIT campus following the row in which the nationalist students were abused, assaulted and manhandled for upholding the sanctity of Tricolour. He said that it was very unfortunate that the students of Jammu and other states boycotted the Continuous Assessment Tests and left for their respective homes due to sheer stress and threats hurled at them by the anti national elements.
Harsh demanded NIT facilities both at Jammu and Srinagar and sought a provision of an extension center of NIT Srinagar in Jammu in the interest of the students. He disclosed that there were NIT institutions with Extension Center while citing the example of NIT Allahabad having its extension center at Sultanpur. He further maintained that BIT Mesra at Ranchi, Jharkhand has extension centers in Noida, Kolkata and Muscat.
Singh reminisced that during the previous governments there were several discussions in the Assembly proposing the up gradation of the GCET to NIT which yielded nothing. He added that since the new government had been sworn in, it should take up the matter seriously and contemplate over the proposal in the interest of the students of Jammu region.
Terming the criminal cases against the non local students of NIT by BJP partnered government as highly outrageous and reprehensible, Harsh said that Saffron Party stood fully exposed for its hypocrisy and dual standards. He said that immunity to those who raised anti national slogans and Pak flags and slapping of criminal cases against those who raised national flags had revealed the BJP in its true colours and proved beyond doubt that lust for power knew no bars, no red lines. He exhorted the central and State governments to accord priority consideration to the resolution of NIT row and cautioned that any further laxity could prove counterproductive and further flare up the highly sensitive and combustible issue. He said that harassment and torture of nationalist students would be fought tooth and nail by the Panthers Party.
Among others who spoke during the protest include Rajesh Pargotra, Manju Singh, Parshotam Parihar, Khajur Singh, Shanker Singh Chib and Kesar Parveen Advocate.
JKNPP to send five-member fact finding panel to NIT
Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party will send a fact-finding panel to NIT, Srinagar tomorrow, which will submit a report to HRD Ministry.
“JKNPP in a secretariat meeting held at party headquarters in Jammu has constituted a five-member fact finding committee in NIT Srinagar row”, President JKNPP, Balwant Singh Mankotia told reporters today.
Mankotia will head the committee that includes leaders Gagan Pratap Singh, Chetan Sharma, Mohinder Pal Singh Pandu and Bashir-Ud-Din.
Tension gripped the NIT campus after India lost to West Indies in semi-final in the T-20 cricket tournament prompting some local students to rejoice and burst crackers.
This led to protest by outstation students resulting in clashes. Since 31st March night, the situation inside the campus has been volatile.