Kashmiri Students In Punjab Allege Attack After India Lose Against Pak In T20 WC Match
A police officer said cheers and Azadi slogans were raised by Kashmiri students after Pakistan victory
After the India Pakistan T20 cricket match on Sunday, several Kashmiri students studying in Punjab alleged that they were beaten by students from other states. They have said that as India lost the match to Pakistan, students from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar attacked them.
These incidents have been reported from Punjab's Bhai Gurdas Institute of Engineering and Technology in Sangrur district, and Rayat Bahrat University in Kharar in Mohali district.
"Are We Not Indians?"
Videos shared on social media show broken chairs, upturned beds in the students' hostel rooms, and some photos of the injured people.
"We were watching the match here. UP waale barged in. We came here to study. We are also Indian. You can see what was done to us. Are we not Indians? So what does Modi say?", one of the students is seen saying in the video.
10 Kashmiri students, of which 4 belonged to the Rayat-Bahra University, were reported injured in the incidents, news agency IANS has reported.
"Azadi Slogans Raised"
“There are about 90 Kashmiri students and around 30 students from UP and Bihar in the (Bhai Gurdas) college. Kashmiri students stay in the 2 wings of the hostel. While the match was on, the students cheered when Pakistan was hitting runs. They also raised Azadi slogans," a police officer is reported to be saying by The Indian Express.
He added, “After the match ended, students from UP and Bihar went inside the rooms of Kashmiri students and had a scuffle with them. Later, the Kashmiri students also had a scuffle with the students from UP and Bihar. The police and college authorities pacified things overnight.”
However, the issue had been settled down as both sides offered apologies in front of the police and the college authorities, said Swapan Sharma, SSP Sangrur district.
Nasir Khuehami, the national spokesperson of the J&K Students Association, claimed on Twitter, "Kashmiri students who were assaulted in Sangrur and Kharar Mohali told me that they were rescued by the locals and other Panjabi students. Students from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana had barged into their rooms, thrashed them, and went on a rampage."
He further added, “Punjab Police must ensure the protection of Kashmiri students studying in Punjab. I have spoken to several in Bhai Gurdas Engineering and Technology College. They told me that students from Bihar had hit them, vandalized the rooms, damaged the hall, and even abused and beat up a few others.”
Demanding the arrest of the accused, Khuehami said, "Such incidents have increased the sense of insecurity and anxiety among Kashmiri youth studying and working outside as well as among their parents and relatives in Kashmir. We demand immediate arrest of all those involved in the assault on Kashmiri students and ensure adequate arrangements for the safety, security of our students. The attack on Kashmiri students by some goons is a worrying factor for the students.”
In a much-awaited and hyped match, India and Pakistan cricket teams clashed on Sunday in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, playing their opening match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium
Pakistan had its first win in a World Cup match against India that too with 10 wickets. Soon after, social media poured in with messages criticizing the Indian cricket team. Some users also used indecent language against some players of the team including captain Virat Kohli and Mohd Shami.
