They were stopped at Lakhanpur, the gateway to Jammu and Kashmir, around midnight soon after they entered the state from Madhopur in neighbouring Punjab in a bus and one Tata Sumo.
Over 100 youth from different parts of the country led by Tejinder Pal Singh Bagga of Bhagat Singh Kranti Dal returned to Delhi from Lakhanpur after abandoning their Tiranga Yatra to NIT-Srinagar half way on Sunday morning.
On way to Srinagar for unfurling national tri colour at NIT there and to express their solidarity with non-Kashmiri students there, the youth comprising students of IT, engineering, architect and other courses had begun their journey under the banner of newly formed Group of Citizens from Delhi’s Gurudwara Rakabgunj on Saturday.
Earlier, they were stopped at Madhopur, but allowed to proceed to Jammu Kashmir after questioning by Punjab Police. As they crossed the bridge over Ravi, they started raising slogans “Bharat Mata Ki Jai’” and “Jahan Hue Bali Mukherjee Who Kashmir Hamara Hai” (Where Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee laid down his life that Kashmir is ours), they were stopped by the police. “We going to Srinagar to tell students at NIT-Srinagar that they are not alone in their fight against anti-nationals,” Bagga said.
The police FIR against students there shall be withdrawn, one of them said. The group had youth from Gujarat and West Bengal as well. They had associated with a Group of Citizens formed on social media for discussion on the happenings in NIT-Srinagar. Senior civil and police officers reached the sport and persuaded them to return as they are not allowed to proceed to Valley. Following night long discussions between them, the youth finally agreed to return to Delhi, but only after they handed over the tri-colour to Additional SP Kathua, Khalil Poswal, for unfurling it on NIT-Srinagar.
