Telangana BJP pushes for safety of outstation students at NIT

Noting that the PDP-BJP government in Jammu and Kashmir would take all steps to resolve the ongoing row at NIT in Srinagar, Telangana BJP President G Kishan Reddy today said parents of outstation students should not worry about the safety of their children.

Reddy spoke to his Jammu and Kashmir counterpart Sat Sharma and urged him to take steps for the safety of students from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh studying at the engineering institute, which has seen violence and cane-charge by police over the last few days, a BJP release said here.

Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh and BJP MLAs would visit the NIT campus tomorrow and try to instil confidence among the students, it said.

Singh and BJP MLAs would also discuss with NIT officials on the steps to be taken to prevent such incidents in future, it said.

The parents of students hailing from different states and studying at NIT need not worry, the release added.

Tension mounted at the NIT campus today as agitating outstation students refused to cooperate with a visiting central team demanding immediate action against some officials of the institute who allegedly indulged in “anti-national” activities.

The team was rushed by the HRD Ministry to take stock of the situation and look into the grievances of the outstation students studying at the NIT, Srinagar.

In Surat, HRD Minister Smriti Irani said she had spoken to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti who assured her that safety of all students will be ensured.

The agitating students demanded that some of the NIT officials be transferred and face action for their alleged “anti-national” activities. The students also said they be allowed to daily hoist national tricolour at the main gate.

Tension started brewing inside the NIT campus, located at the banks of famous Dal lake, last week after India lost to West Indies in semi-final of World Twenty20 cricket tournament prompting some local students to rejoice and burst crackers. This was protested by the outstation students resulting in clashes.