Following the government’s decision not to shift the National Institute of Technology campus from Srinagar campus, non-Kashmiri students of the institute have demanded an extension centre at Jammu on the pattern of Birla Institute of Technology (BIT), Ranchi, and the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Allahabad.
After the statements of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and the state government that there will be “no question of shifting the NIT-Srinagar campus from Kashmir”, the fear-stricken students have requested for an extension centre of the institute at Jammu.
“If the MHRD cannot shift the campus from Kashmir, they can open an extension centre at Jammu on the pattern of BIT-Mesra and IIIT-Allahabad. This is the only option left with us to study safely in this intuition,” said a non-Kashmiri student over phone.
BIT-Mesra has its extension centres at Lalpur, Patna, Deoghar, Kolkata, Noida, Allahabad, Muscat and Ras Al Khaimah. The IIIT has its extension centre at Sultanpur in UP.
“We are not secure here and a student cannot study under the shadow of the gun. They can provide security inside the campus but not in the market to individual students,” said a non-Kashmiri student.
“We are neither political activists nor do have any intention of joining politics. We came here to study and have worked hard to get admission in this prestigious institution. We only want a safe and secure environment for our studies which cannot be provided here in Kashmir,” he added.
Smriti Irani’s visit postponed
Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani’s visit to Srinagar on Wednesday has been postponed, ministry sources said. Irani was scheduled to chair an HRD consultative committee meeting in Srinagar on April 13.
Non-Kashmiri students want NIT extension centre in Jammu
