Situation still tense around educational institutes in Dehradun

In the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack, the Uttarakhand Police is having to tackle rumour mongering and alleged offensive posts on social media, even as the situation remained tense on Sunday in and around the educational institutes where some Kashmiri students are studying.

According to police sources, dozens of Kashmiri students have left for their homes since Friday after being allegedly intimidated by mobs following the ghastly attack on a CRPF convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Thursday that killed 49 troopers.

A large number of Kashmiri students study in Dehradun.

"We have taken all steps to defuse the tense situation by deploying our personnel in and around the educational institutes," said Ashok Kumar, Director General of Police (DGP), Law and Order.

Since Friday, right wing organisations such as the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Bajrang Dal and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) have been holding protest marches here raising anti-Pakistan slogans in the wake of the Pulwama attack.

The situation turned worse after a couple of Kashmiri students studying in the city allegedly posted some anti-national comments on social media, leading to trouble around a couple of educational institutions, the police said.

The police said some female Kashmiri students allegedly pelted stones on some of the right wing activists from a hostel in the city on Saturday. However, timely action by the police averted a clash.

DGP Kumar also denied media reports that some Kashmiri girls were trapped in their hostel for hours.

"There were rumours yesterday that a few Kashmiri girls were trapped in a hostel in Dehradun for hours due to the presence of an angry mob. This is not true as the police sorted out the issue. Initially, there was some confusion regarding pro-Pakistan slogans raised by the Kashmiri girls, but later the matter was resolved by the police," Kumar said.

Meanwhile, K. Aysir Rashid, a Kashmiri student studying at Subharti University here, has been arrested after he allegedly posted an offensive comment on social media regarding the Pulwama attack. He was placed under suspension by the university authorities on Saturday.

Another Kashmiri student was taken into preventive custody in Roorki in Haridwar district for posting alleged anti-national remarks on social media.

The anger among the people deepened on Saturday after Major Chitresh Singh Bisht (31), a native of Dehradun, lost his life while defusing a landmine along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir. As soon as the news reached the city, a large number of people gathered outside Bisht's house in Nehru Colony.

Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nivedita Kukreti, through a series of tweets, has appealed to the people to refrain from rumour mongering which may lead to trouble.

--IANS

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