Clashes between Kashmiri and non-Kashmiri students at National Institute of Technology in Srinagar following India's T20 World cup loss have forced authorities to shut down the campus indefinitely.
Sources said the trouble started on Thursday night when some of the Kashmiri students celebrated the West Indies victory. “The celebrations did not go well with non-local students and a verbal fight ensued. However, the situation was under control,” said a student who pleaded anonymity.
But the issue flared up again on Friday afternoon with more than 500 non-local students outnumbering 70 Kashmiri students and leaving at least 3 of them injured.
A teacher who tried to intervene was also injured while a delivery boy of a courier company suffered damage to his arm.
"After we finished our Friday prayers, non-Kashmiri students took out a march in the NIT campus damaging classroom infrastructure.They were shouting anti-Pakistan and pro-India slogans,” the Kashmiri students said.
The non-Kashmiri students roughed up the locals, harassed teachers when they tried to intervene and smashed glass panes, they alleged. They also reportedly tried to hoist the tricolour and block entry to the campus.
A non local boy said they hoisted the flag after grave provocation from the local students. 'They pelted stones on our hostel at around 2 in the night. Next morning we took up the issue with the director of the institute. He did not take immediate action.'
'Today we protested the inaction and in between clashes broke out between the students.'
Following this, the hostel was closed down and the students asked to vacate. Later in the evening Kashmiri students held a demonstration outside the NIT's administration block seeking action against the alleged attackers.
Police, meanwhile has been asked to stay close to the campus and not to allow the students to clash.
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