Kashmiri, non-Kashmiri students clash at Srinagar NIT over India's T20 loss

Srinagar, April 2: The National Institute of Technology (NIT) at Hazratganj, Srinagar, was shut on Friday till further orders following clashes between the Kashmiri and non-Kashmiri students after India lost the T20 World Cup semi-final to the West Indies at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

The NIT registrar issued a notice asking the students to vacate the hostel rooms after the clashes broke put following heated arguments in the dining hall after the match. The notice said the institute would be closed from April 1 (Friday) till further orders. It said the decision had been taken after the students refused to maintain discipline despite repeated requests by the institute and local administration.

Meanwhile, the HRD Ministry said on Saturday that normalcy had been restored at the NIT. According to the ministry, Rajat Gupta, the institute's director, reassured the students, faculty and parents that the situation was back to normal and academic activities would resume on Monday.

There are around 150 Kashmiri and 1,800 non-Kashmiri students at NIT Srinagar.

Reports said tension was brewing in the campus once the tournament began and India started winning. It was said that every Indian win, the non-local students raised slogans and harassed the local ones and on Thursday evening, Kashmiri students celebrated and burst crackers when India lost the match.

On Friday, the non-local students protested outside the director's office and sought action against the Kashmiri students who celebrated India's defeat.

According to officials, the non-local students tried to assault a teacher when he tried to stop them from ransacking college property. These students then raised the Tricolour and when the local students objected, a tussle followed. The police was soon called in and they resorted to firing tear-gas shells to disperse the protesters and bring the situation under control.

Oneindia News