J&K govt suspends classes in Valley to thwart protests
SRINAGAR In a precautionary move, the Jammu and Kashmir government on Tuesday decided to suspend classes in colleges across Kashmir on Wednesday.
An official spokesperson said that as per the directions of the divisional commissioner of Kashmir, teaching work in all colleges of the Kashmir division shall remain suspended on Wednesday as a precautionary measure.
Classes were also suspended in universities, colleges and higher secondary schools on Tuesday, across Kashmir, to prevent escalation of student protests.
This comes after thousands of students hit streets on Monday against the alleged excesses by security forces in the Valley.
However, despite the suspension of classes on Tuesday, protests were held by female boarding students of Kashmir University inside the varsity campus. They demonstrated against the police action on students of Government Degree College Pulwama on Saturday.
SEVEN ADMITTED AFTER MONDAY’S PROTEST Following the protests on Monday, seven youths with injuries due to pellets and stones were admitted in Srinagar’s Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital. Reports said over 60 people were injured in the clashes between youth and security forces across Kashmir on Monday.
Of the seven admitted at SMHS, the most critical is Iqra Sidiq, a first-year commerce student of the Women’s College at Nawa Kadal in the Old City. She was injured after being hit on the head by a stone. Her family members allege that she was injured as paramilitary forces threw stones on a student’s protest rally at Sekidafar.
“My daughter was part of a peaceful protest against the violence in Pulwama. The girls were not pelting stones. But CRPF personnel of Sekidafar bunker targeted them with stones,” said Iqra’s father Mohammad Sidiq, a coppersmith. “What had she done to deserve such a fate,” he asked.
However, CRPF spokesperson Bhawnesh Chowdhary refuted the allegations levelled. “Nothing can be more absurd than this allegation. The bunker has so many fortifications and nets to prevent any stones from outside. How can anybody then throw a stone from inside,” he said.
A police spokesman said Iqra was hit by a stone from a “mob of male and female” students. “The girl was not hit by a stone shot by catapult as it is evident from the nature of the injury,” the spokesman said.
Doctors at SMHS hospital informed that Iqra has a depression in her skull due to fracture. She was operated upon late on Monday evening. “She is stable now,” said a doctor.
PROTEST IN PULWAMA Monday’s protests were organised against the alleged police excesses on Saturday in Pulwama Degree College, in which 50 students were injured.
Students alleged that security forces barged into the premises and fired pellets and tear-gas shells to defuse student protests over setting up of a police checkpoint outside the college. The police say that the check point was set up “200 metres away from the institution”.