Srinagar, Aug 21 (IANS) The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) has hailed the prompt intervention by Madhya Pradesh Police after two Kashmiri students in Bhopal alleged harassment, intimidation and attempts to evict them from their rented accommodation.
The two students, pursuing pharmacy courses under the Prime Minister’s Special Scholarship Scheme, approached the association after allegedly facing threats and pressure from certain individuals in their locality, the JKSA said in a statement.
The students alleged that objections were raised to their presence in the area because they were from Jammu and Kashmir and belonged to the Muslim community.
They also alleged that pressure was exerted on their landlord to evict them and that they were threatened with forcible eviction if they did not leave the premises.
The JKSA National Convenor, Nasir Khuehami, took up the matter with Madhya Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP), Kailash Makwana. According to Khuehami, the DGP directed Bhopal Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar to ensure the students’ safety.
A police team, including Nishatpura police station house officer Manoj Patwa, visited the students at their residence and heard their concerns, the association said.
The police also questioned individuals allegedly involved in threatening or pressuring the students and called them to the police station for further inquiry, it said.
Residents of the society were cautioned against any conduct that could create fear or insecurity among the students, the JKSA said.
“Their immediate response has helped restore confidence among the students and demonstrated that the rule of law will prevail over intimidation, prejudice and attempts by private individuals to take the law into their own hands,” Khuehami said.
He said students from Jammu and Kashmir should be able to pursue their education and careers anywhere in the country without fear or intimidation.
JKSA has been proactively pursuing cases of local students being harassed outside Jammu and Kashmir, and the association also raises the issues of Indian students studying abroad.
–IANS
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