Pulwama attack: CRPF's 'Madadgaar' helps 250 Kashmiri students reach home

The CRPF's Srinagar-based helpline 'Madadgaar' has helped 250 students studying and working in various cities of the country to safely reach their homes in the Kashmir Valley, in the wake of purported threats made to them after the Pulwama terror attack, a senior official of the force said Tuesday.

The students largely hail from towns in south Kashmir and were brought home by CRPF personnel after they gathered in Jammu Monday night, he said.

More than 250 Kashmiri students from Dehradun, Chandigarh, Delhi and others, who had reached Jammu on Monday, were provided food and then transported to Kashmir, the helpline posted on its Twitter handle.

The helpline has received 60-70 calls since the February 14 Pulwama terror attack. The calls made by Kashmiri students and other professionals based in major metropolitan cities are largely about concerns of their safety and to seek help, the official said.

A call was received on Monday about some protests being planned in a Gurgaon-based educational institution and the officials manning 'Madadgaar' immediately got in touch with the local administration, he said.

The local police and college administration met the Kashmiri students and assured them that there was no reason to worry and the protest ended in about half-an-hour, he added.

On Tuesday, a call was received from Jammu that some Kashmiri families wanted help to get rations and milk for children as there has been a curfew there for some time. The nearest CRPF battalion helped them with the food items, the official said.

"We are all ears to any kind of problem being faced by any Kashmiri person living anywhere in the country," he said.

A few days ago, the 'Madadgaar' helpline posted a tweet saying Kashmiri students and general public who are presently out of the state can contact it over the Twitter handle '@CRPFmadadgaar'.

It can also be reached on 24x7 toll free number 14411 or people can send an SMS at mobile no: 7082814411 "for speedy assistance in case they face any difficulties or harassment".

On February 16, the Centre had issued an advisory and asked all states to ensure safety and security of the students and people from Jammu and Kashmir living in their areas.

The advisory had come hours after Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh assured an all-party meeting of doing the needful for the protection of the Kashmiri students and people who were allegedly threatened after the terrorist attack.

The CRPF, that is deployed for security duties in Jammu and Kashmir, had launched the 247 helpline in June 2017 to help any Valley resident who is in distress.