Press Trust of India

The Centre Saturday asked all states to ensure safety and security of the students and people from Jammu and Kashmir living in their areas in the wake of threats to them in some parts of the country, officials said, PTI reported.

According to the report the advisory came hours after 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 attack in Pulwama in which 49 CRPF personnel were killed.
A Home Ministry official said there have been some reports of students and other residents of Jammu and Kashmir experiencing threats and intimidation. “Therefore, the Home Ministry today issued an advisory to all states/UTs to take necessary measures to ensure their safety and security,” the official said.

Some Kashmiri youths studying in the Uttarakhand capital, Dehradun, have alleged that they were harassed and have been asked by their landlords to vacate accommodations fearing attacks on their properties in the aftermath of the attack.

Srinagar, Feb 16 : Students from Kashmir putting up in rented accommodations or hostels in Dehradun and Haryana have asked by landlords and administrators respectively to vacate.

“I was asked by landlord to vacate,” Aqib Ahmad, a resident of Bandipora, who studies in a college in Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand, told GNS over phone.

“I tried to arrange air ticket but it cost around Rs 17000. There is curfew in Jammu and highway is also not fully functional and as such option of retuning via road is unfeasible,” he said.

Asked why he was asked to vacate, Aqib said: “The landlord told me to vacate fearing attack on his property due to the presence of a Kashmiri.”

Waseem Akram, a student from Kupwara, told GNS over phone that Kashmiri students were asked to vacate hostels.

“Where shall we go? What is fun of studying here,” he asked and urged authorities to ensure safety of all the Kashmiri students.

Another student BAsit Ahmad called GNS from Haryana and shared similar story, saying that he was called up by the landlord and asked to vacate the accommodation “instantaneously.”

Ever since the deadliest attack on CRPF, students from Kashmir in Dehradun and several other places have been attacked, prompting former chief ministers of J&K Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti to appeal Home Minister Rajnath Singh to direct all state governments to ensure safety of Kashmiris including students and businessmen besides others as they “could be soft targets in a surcharged atmosphere.”

“My earnest appeal to @rajnathsingh ji to please issue directions to all state governments to take special care in areas/colleges/institutions where Kashmiris are residing/studying. They are soft targets in a surcharged atmosphere,” Omar tweeted.

Former Chief Minister and president Peoples Democratic Party Mehbooba Mufti also urged the Home Minister to take requisite measures so that minorities and especially Kashmiris outside valley aren’t intimidated or harassed by miscreants.

In her message, she stated that “while every person from Kashmir to Kanyakumari is grieved over the gruesome attack on CRPF personnel in Pulwama, there are certain elements in the country which are waiting in wings to politicize the situation and vitiate atmosphere peace and communal harmony.” (GNS)