Pulwama attack fallout: Kashmiri students fear threat in Jamia, AMU, JNU univs after FB post spark row; All you need to know

Pulwama attack fallout: According to media reports, several Kashmiris living outside the state claimed they were harassed and attacked after the terrorist attack in Pulwama district in which 40 CRPF men were killed.

Several Kashmiri students have reportedly said they were in a state of fear after Kashmiris students were allegedly harassed in the national capital following the Pulwama terror attack. (PTI)

Pulwama attack fallout: Several Kashmiri students have reportedly said they were in a state of fear after Kashmiris students were allegedly harassed in the national capital following the Pulwama terror attack. Even as police have asserted that security had been enhanced in New Delhi and that they would ensure the safety of all citizens. According to media reports, several Kashmiris living outside the state claimed they were harassed and attacked after the terrorist attack in Pulwama district in which 40 CRPF men were killed.

What students reported

• A Kashmiri student from Jamia Millia Islamia was quoted by PTI as saying, "Just the fact that one is a Kashmiri, irrespective of his ideology or leanings, is enough to put one's life to risk. It is happening across the country. Kashmiri students are being harassed and hounded, be it Dehradun, Ambala or Bangalore. We really fear for our security here too." • JNU activist Shehla Rashid, who hails from Kashmir, said, "Throughout India, mobs are attacking Kashmiri students, verbally abusing them, asking for them to be expelled and filing false cases against them. The pretext being given in each case is that they said Pakistan Zindabad and even police is buying into these false claims." Noting that it was happening in other cities and it could happen in the national capital too, she said there was an intense sense of fear of mob lynching among students. • Anis Ahmed, a Kashmiri student at Delhi University, said, "We are not at all reacting on social media to any abuses which are being hurled at us even if we are being labelled as terrorists. Students who are staying on rented accommodations rather than hostels are even more scared about their safety". • In Uttarakhand's Dehradun, some Kashmiri students have alleged that they were harassed and asked by their landlords to vacate accommodations fearing attacks on their properties in the aftermath of the attack.

Controversial remarks on social media

• A Kashmiri student studying in a Bengaluru college was arrested for allegedly hailing the Jaish terrorist. • Another from Dehradun was booked for allegedly sending WhatsApp messages supporting the Pulwama suicide attack. • A Kashmiri student has been suspended by his college in Greater Noida for allegedly posting controversial remarks on Facebook about the Pulwama terror attack. Police said that it was found during the investigation that the controversial post was made using a fake profile of the student and the matter had been taken up with their counterparts in Kupwara. • The AMU suspended an undergraduate student from Kashmir for allegedly lauding a terrorist outfit in a social media post after the terror strike.

Delhi police enhance security

• Deputy Commissioner of Police Madhur Verma tweeted that security had been strengthened all across the national capital, including minority-dominated areas. "Visibility of police personnel has been increased. We'll ensure the safety and security of every citizen, including Kashmiri inhabitants and students living in Delhi," he said. • Delhi minister Rajendra Pal Gautam also condemned the alleged attacks on Kashmiris. He took to Twitter and wrote, "What kind of hatred and frenzy is being spread in the name of religion? The country has not even recovered from the Pulwama attack that reports of ill-treatment of Kashmiris have started pouring in." Gautam further said the perpetrators of these attacks were not patriots. • CRPF Madadgaar, the central force's helpline had on Saturday night tweeted, "Kashmiri students and the general public, presently out of Kashmir, can contact @CRPFmadadgaar on 24x7 toll-free number 14411 or SMS us at 7082814411 for speedy assistance in case they face any difficulties/harassment". (With inputs from PTI)