news details |
|
|
| Governor Vohra was present at campus during protest | | Embarrassment for Government as students protest breaks out at University of Kashmir | |  Jehangir Rashid
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Apr 2: In a major embarrassment for the authorities manning the security at University of Kashmir students protests broke out at the varsity campus despite the fact that Governor Narendra Nath Vohra was present there while the protests were going on. Reports said that protesting students resorted to high pitch sloganeering against the state government for holding the 13th edition of Jammu & Kashmir Science Congress on a day when Kashmir observed shutdown against the killing of four civilians at Shopian in South Kashmir on Sunday.
As soon as Governor Vohra arrived at the university campus students belonging to different departments assembled outside the Convocation Complex and started raising slogans against the state government. The protesting students said that function should not have been organized today. The students raised 'pro-freedom' slogans and castigated the government for allegedly killing the civilians in cold blood. The students assembled at the garden just outside the venue and offered funeral prayers in absentia for the civilians who were killed at Shopian. The students tried their best to enter Convocation Complex, venue of Science Congress, however could not do so. The security present at the varsity was caught unawares due to the protest of students. Facing stiff opposition the security personnel virtually chased away the protesting students at the varsity campus. Vohra was virtually held hostage by the students with the authorities being forced to erect barricades at the entrance of the venue of the Science Congress.
The students opined that the government should have deferred the Science Congress since the inaugural day coincided with the strike call given by separatists against the killing of civilians at Shopian. Although, the students had been asked to vacate the hostels following Sunday's incidents still many among them turned up to protest against holding of Science Congress.
It would be in place to mention here that University of Kashmir had been in the news in the past for wrong reasons. Functions were held at the varsity in the past during which many of the participants did not stood up while the national anthem was played on these occasions. The Governor who is the chancellor of the varsity had raised strong objections over such disturbing developments. However, no action whatsoever was taken with regard to these developments. In the meantime normal life was affected in Kashmir valley due to the strike call given by the separatists against the killing of innocents in Shopian district. All the schools, colleges and universities remained closed in the Kashmir valley. Attendance in the government offices was also very thin with the movement of public transport being skeletal. Only private transport could be seen plying on the roads. Majority of the shops and other commercial establishments remained closed. Authorities had imposed restrictions in areas falling under Rainawari, Khanyar, Maharaj Gunj, Safa Kadal, Nowhatta, Soura, Kralkhud and Maisuma police stations. Protests broke out in some areas of Srinagar, Shopian, Pulwama and Kulgam districts with few people sustaining injuries. The situation was by and large normal today after bloody Sunday with 13 militants, four civilians and three army personnel getting killed in South Kashmir especially Shopian in separate incidents. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
