After the Kashmiri students studying in Pacific University Rajasthan were asked to evacuate the hostel two weeks ago, the students have demanded assurance of their adequate security from the varsity authorities before re-joining.
Two weeks ago, a scuffle had taken place between Kashmiri students and hostel mess staff over cleanliness issue when a Kashmiri student had refused to eat in a dirty plate. The incident is said to have caused violence in the campus with students turning hostile against varsity authorities for not entertaining complaints against “dirty food”.
Fearing any untoward incidents, varsity had asked all students to evacuate the hostels and announced 7 day shutdown. The students complained they were evacuated at odd time. Various students were stranded at railway stations and bus stands at Udaipur, Mount Abu, Ajmer at odd hours waiting for any means of transportations to reach back home safely.
Though the university administration had assured that they would arrange for the railway reservations for the outstation students. “However, when most of the students boarded the train to Kashmir from Ajmer junction, we could find no place to sit,” said Kashmiri students.
Many were forced to sit outside toilets, galleries of the compartments while many had to stand for hours during the long and tiring journey. Most of the students who didn’t come from well off families were also worried for they didn’t have enough money even to buy meals, said students.
“We were manhandled by the authorities after we lodged a complaint against unhygienic food being served to us in the hostel mess,” said Kashmiri students.
The university has allegedly threatened the students to fire them out if any of them is found guilty after the inquiry.
“Only male students were made to leave the hostel immediately after threat of violence in the campus while the girls were safe inside the hostels” said additional SP Udaipur, Rajesh Bharadwaj.
“Initially, it was only limited to exchanging hot words but later violence had spread in the whole campus, with students vandalizing college property, furniture and vehicles,” said an official from the University.
