After 'Leave Kashmir' advisory to Amarnath pilgrims, NIT students evacuate campus

A day after an unprecedented "Leave Valley" advisory to tourists and Amarnath pilgrims in Kashmir, a fresh notice has been issued last night for hundreds of students asking them to evacuate the National Institute of Technology (NIT) campus in Srinagar. According to the statement issued by the NIT administration, there will be no class work in the institute till further notice.

"The above notice stands issued in accordance with instructions received from the district administration, Srinagar," the notice read.

In the wake of this unexampled notice, around 800 students carrying their luggage were seen waiting for buses to ferry them outside the Valley on Saturday morning. The number includes both Kashmiris and non-localites students belonging to different other states across India.

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Buses carrying students leave NIT Srinagar campus, a day after Jammu and Kashmir government issued an advisory asking Amarnath Yatra pilgrims and tourists to leave Kashmir immediately.#KashmirUnderThreat

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An official at the NIT told Hindustan Times that the administration has been asked to send students home in the view of this prevailing condition in the terror-hit state. "The buses were arranged by the administration. We don't know why this decision has been taken," an official was quoted as saying.

Since morning students were waiting for the buses. "We were informed to leave the Valley. Now we are waiting for the buses," said an NIT student from Uttar Pradesh.

READ | Kashmir on edge: With more boots on ground, what lies ahead in panicked Valley?

Panic and rumours were triggered among political leaders and locals in the Valley with a flurry of initiatives taken by the Centre over the last few weeks. In less than a week, Centre decided to additional 38,000 troops to the Kashmir Valley in two batches - 10,000 and 28,000. This came after National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval returned from a two-day visit to the state.

Though Governor Satya Pal Malik has tried to quell the assumptions, many fears that the developments were part of an 'effort' to repeal Articles 370 and 35A. Meanwhile, the administration’s evacuation notice on Friday night has further intensified the unrest in the region that has amplified since a vehicle laden with explosives rammed into a police convoy on February 14, killing 40 paramilitary personnel.