Srinagar, January 16, 2011: A number of Kashmiri students studying in Indian state Madhya Pradesh (MP) have said that they were being harassed by Indian police and asked to get credentials verified by the Jammu and Kashmir police. The students studying in some colleges and universities of in Indian state MP have reported to their parents that the local Indian cops are harassing them without any provocation. The students have said that they are either called or taken to police station and being questioned.
Muhammad Abdullah, a resident of Rafiabad Baramulla district said his son told him over the phone that MP police contingent had come to their makeshift residence in the evening two days ago. Police has snatched the identity cards of three students and ordered them to report in the nearby police station in the morning. “My son along with three other classmates went to police station and they were questioned there for one and a half hours," Abdullah said and added that he is very much worried about his son. “I am thinking of getting my son back," he added.
Abdullah said his son told him that the MP police was also conducting nocturnal raids at the makeshift residences of Kashmiri students. "He told me that police at times catches hold of Kashmiri students outside the colleges, checks their identity cards and questions them during last few days," he added.
Similar incident has been reported by Mushtaq Ahmad Lone of Kulgam to his family. "My brother said the police was harassing them for the last few days," Abdul Rashid, brother of Mushtaq said and expressed grave concern over the harassment of Kashmir students in MP.
Rashid said that they are unable to understand the reason behind the harassment of Kashmir students. "First the MP government in India suggested by claiming of reduction of quota for Kashmiri students and now our boys are being harassed. We are unable to understand the situation," Rashid added.
Here it needs a mention during last year 2011, Qaiser Ahmed Dar, a Kashmiri student who had gone to MP to register himself as a PhD student at Sagar University, was arrested by the Bhopal anti-terrorist squad (ATS) and was released after nine days. He was released only after IGP Kashmir intervened.
During the same year MP government found itself embroiled in the controversy after being accused of trying to keep Kashmiri students out of higher educational institutions in the state. Source KT SHABIR IBN YUSUF