- 17 students injured in protests in South Kashmir, 2 in Srinagar
- Pak flag hoisted on administrative wing of GDC Pulwama
- Govt monitoring situation, whatever action is needed will be taken: Edu Minister
There has been no end to student protests in the Valley with students staging protests in Central, North and South Kashmir and clashing with the security personnel on Wednesday.
At least 17 students were hurt in clashes in South Kashmir and two in Srinagar while a Pakistani flag was hoisted on administrative wing of Government Degree College, Pulwama.
The students of Government Boys Higher Secondary School Shalimar, Government Polytechnic College Gogji Bagh and some schools in Soura area took to roads and staged protests today.
Chanting pro-freedom and anti-India slogans, the students were protesting against the manhandling and beating of students by the force personnel.
The students of Government Boys Higher Secondary School Shalimar clashed with the force personnel after being stopped by the cops from staging protests. The cops used force to disperse the agitating students. Two students sustained injuries during the clashes.
However, SMHS hospital authorities said they did not receive any injured students during the day.
The students in North Kashmir’s Bandipora district also took to roads and staged protests against the forces highhandedness on students.
The students of Girls Higher Secondary School Bandipora staged protests and tried to march towards Gulshan Chowk amidst chanting of pro-freedom and anti-India slogans.
The students of Nadim Memorial Higher Secondary School and some other schools in Bandipora district also staged protests and demanded justice for Pulwama College students, who were beaten by force personnel on April 15.
Chief Educational Officer (CEO) Bandipora, Mohammad Shafi told Kashmir Post that students of Nadim Memorial Higher Secondary School protested after they finished the classes.
Besides, students of some other educational institutions also joined the protest.
The students of Boys Higher Secondary School Pampore also staged protests and attempted to march towards Bus Stand Khrew.
Chanting pro-freedom and anti-India slogans, the protesting students clashed with the force personnel, who fired tear smoke shells to disperse them. The clashes continued for some time.
The students have been staging protests after security personnel raided Degree College Pulwama on April 15 during which 50 students were injured.
The student protests were also reported from all four districts of south Kashmir — Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama.
The worst hit was Shopian main town, where students of Government Higher secondary school came out on roads at Batpora area to stage a protest march.
Police used pellet guns and tear smoke shells to disperse the protesting students.
At least 13 students sustained injuries.
“Four of the injured had pellet injuries. All of them, however, were discharged after treatment,” a source at Shopian district hospital told Kashmir Post.
Sources said policemen entered the school campus and beat the students. A teacher of the school was also allegedly roughed up by the cops.
Shopian SP, Tahir Saleem, however refuted the allegations.
“Nobody from our side ventured into the school premises so beating students or roughing up any teacher is out of question. These are baseless rumors being spread by some people,” he said.
In neighboring Pulwama district, about four students received minor injuries after students clashed with forces outside Government Degree College, Pulwama.
The students first protested inside the college premises and then ventured out and clashed with the force personnel.
Students also hoisted a Pakistani flag over the administrative wing of the college.
“Maximum restraint was exercised by the cops while containing the protests,” SP Pulwama Rayees Mohammad Bhat told Kashmir Post.
He said they have no inputs about a Pakistani flag being hoisted over administrative wing of the college.
In Kulgam district, the students of Government Degree College held peaceful protests outside their college and later dispersed peacefully.
In Anantnag’s Degree College Bijbehara, students staged protests from their college to main town, where they clashed with the police and paramilitary personnel.
The cops fired tear smoke shells to disperse the protesting students.
Minister for Education Syed Altaf Bukhari told Kashmir Post that the government is continuously monitoring the situation and whatever action is needed will be taken.
He appealed students to resume class work as they already have lost an academic year owing to law and order problem in the valley last year after killing of Burhan Wani on July 8, 2016.
