Told to vacate rooms, say Kashmiri students

AMBALA: Tension gripped the Mullana village of Ambala district on Saturday after some residents asked Kashmiri students studying at Maharishi Markandeshwar University (MMU) to vacate their paying guest accommodations.

Ambala SP Astha Modi said she had seen a video in which the students were being asked to leave the village but assured them that no discrimination would be allowed. “Such an announcement could be because of anger. We have increased security in the area. I have talked to the MMU management and students,” she said. MMU vice-chancellor Victor Gambir told Kashmiri students staying in paying guest (PG) accommodations to move into the university hostel.

“There are 104 students staying outside the campus. We will ensure security for all our students. If the police suspect any student’s role in any untoward activity, they can investigate the matter,” he said. Zubair Khan, a second year BSc (medical) student from Kashmir, said: “On Friday night, some villagers from Mullana told me to vacate my room within 24 hours. They even threatened me.” A girl student from Kashmir said her brother stays in a PG accommodation as the hostel expenses are high. “Some villagers beat him up after the Pulwama incident following which the university officials asked him to shift to the hostel. We can’t afford it. If we’re not assured of safety outside the campus, we’ll have no choice but to go back to our native state,” she said.