22 Arrested As Cops Crackdown On Threats To Kashmiri Students In Uttarakhand's Dehradun

Twenty-two students were arrested for protesting outside a college in Uttarakhand's Dehradun demanding expulsion of Kashmiri students, police said on Tuesday.

They were arrested outside the Uttaranchal College of Science and Technology on Sahastradhara Road on Monday after they shouted slogans demanding expulsion of Kashmiri students, Dehradun's Senior Superintendent of Police or SSP Nivedita Kukreti said.

The protesters were later released on bail.

There have been a series of protests against Kashmiri students in Dehradun after the Pulwama terror attack, with even the authorities in Jammu and Kashmir expressing concerns over their safety.

The managements of two city colleges even announced they will not admit Kashmiri students in the future following the protests. However, Anil Saini, Chairman of Alpine College of Management and Technology, one of the two colleges, told news agency Press Trust of India that they were forced to make the announcement under pressure, but have taken no such decisions.

Baba Farid Institute of Technology, which was the other city-based institution to give a similar commitment in writing, also admitted that it did so under severe pressure from a mob.

Authorities in Dehradun have assured full safety and security of the students from Jammu and Kashmir.

The Inspector-General of Police or IG of Garhwal range, Ajay Rautela, said that the Kashmiri students are completely safe and they should not worry. Police patrolling in Premnagar area, where most of the Kashmiri students live, has been stepped up. He also appealed to people to maintain calm.

The police said they have also taken action in a few cases.

A Kashmiri student of Sridev Suman Subharti University was arrested for sending a WhatsApp message to his friends exulting over the terrorist attack on CRPF soldiers.

A case was also registered against activist from JNU, Shehla Rashid, after she claimed on Twitter that some girl students were "trapped" by a mob shouting slogans outside their hostel in the city.

Police confirmed that there has not been a single incident on Tuesday with no complaints or distress calls received from anywhere.

The Jammu and Kashmir government has also set up a helpline for students with designated officers appointed to take care of those in the city.

"There have been numerous calls from students of different colleges including Baba Farid Institute of Tech, Alpine Institute, Dolphin Institute, SBS Medical College and so on so forth," a Jammu and Kashmir government spokesman said on Monday.

Some of the students from Dehradun have reached Delhi and have been accommodated at J&K House in Chanakyapuri, he said. He also said that around 100 students from Sailakui have gathered in Rampur. A visit by officials was arranged and they were assured safety and security.

-PTI