Scuffle between students, stranded Kashmir-bound passengers in Jammu

A scuffle broke out between a group of students and some stranded Kashmir-bound passengers outside the Gandhi Memorial Science College here on Monday but timely intervention by police brought the situation under control, officials said.

The clash took place when the students came out of the college to protest alleged chanting of "objectionable slogans" by some of the stranded passengers while protesting the alleged failure of the administration to help them in the hour of crisis, the officials said.

They said police immediately swung into action and resorted to mild baton charge to disperse the clashing parties and to bring the situation under control.

Thousands of Kashmir-bound passengers, including students, are stranded in Jammu following the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway over the past six days owing to heavy snowfall and rains which triggered multiple landslides.

A large group of the stranded passengers, including students, had come for their registration at a hostel for their subsequent airlifting by the Indian Air Force (IAF) to the valley but blocked the Canal Road outside the college to protest the delay in their airlifting and lack of facilities.

In the meantime, a group of students came out from the college and accused them of raising "pro-Pakistan" and "anti-India" slogans, leading to a brief clash, the officials said.

Senior superintendent of police, Jammu, Tejinder Singh, when contacted, said police acted immediately and segregated the clashing groups and made additional deployments to maintain law and order.

He said police had taken cognisance of the incident and assured action if anyone was found involved in raising "anti-national" slogans.