Was asked to gather data on Kashmiri students by UT: PU

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 16

After a row over the profiling of Kashmiri students, PU, on Tuesday said it was the Chandigarh Administration which had been asking it to gather data on students.

Renuka Salwan, Director, Public Relations, said: “The Chandigarh Administration has asked us to gather data on Kashmiri students. We will send them the data.”

However, Home Secretary AK Gupta denied that there were no such instructions to the PU. But a senior-level police officer confirmed that the PU has been asked to give data. He said: “We usually gather data on students from the disturbed areas as they are vulnerable to enemy country’s designs. It is intelligence gathering for us.”

Meanwhile, the National Students Union of India (NSUI) has raised a banner of revolt and demanded that such a letter to all departments, calling for information on Kashmiri students, should be withdrawn.

A memorandum was submitted to Prof Emanuel Nahar, DSW, asking the authorities to take back the notice, and “stop the discrimination”.

“The NSUI firmly stands against this behaviour of the authorities, which clearly discriminates on the basis of region or place of birth,” said Anuj Singh, NSUI leader.

“It is not only discriminatory, but also unconstitutional as no Indian resident can be treated in this manner depending upon his or her place of birth. It is sad to see an esteemed institution like the PU indulging in such practices. We stand by the students,” said Manoj Lubana, National Coordinator, NSUI.

The Tribune tried to speak to the Kashmiri students on campus, but they refused fearing backlash.

An email from the Dean of the University Instructions, Prof Shankarji Jha, to all departments, dated October 11, read: “You are requested to provide information of the Kashmiri students admitted in your department/centre/institute, to the office of the undersigned, latest by 11.10.2018 up to 4 pm, positively in the below mentioned format (hardcopy/ through e-maildui@pu.ac.in).”

The PU has asked for the name of the student, father’s name, class, address and contact number. Before this such details have never been sought from any department. The email also read: “This may be treated as most urgent/timebound.”

It is for the first time that such details are being sought. Most of the PU departments have responded to the request.

On October 10, three Kashmiri students were arrested from the CT Institute of Engineering Management and Technology, Jalandhar, for allegedly being members of the militant outfit, Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGH).

A search yielded weapons, including an AK-47 assault rifle, three Italy-made pistols and explosives. The police had said that one of the arrested students was a cousin of AGH chief Zakir Musa, aka Zakir Rashid Bhat. Musa was studying engineering in Mohali and had joined Hizb unit in Tral in 2013, when he had gone home on vacations.