Four Students Made to Vacate Hostel for ‘Trying to Assault’ Kashmiri Students

College hostel in Bathinda expelled four students for allegedly trying to assault Kashmiri students.

The students were expelled from their hostel after allegedly trying to assault Kashmiri students.

(Photo: Baba Farid Group of Institutions)

Four students studying at Bathinda's Baba Farid Group of Institutions were expelled from the college hostel after they allegedly tried to assault Kashmiri students a day after the World Cup T20 cricket match between Pakistan and Afghanistan, on Saturday, 30 October. The two groups had reportedly fought over the outcome of the match.

Hostel warden Lakhbir Singh issued orders for the students vacate the hostel on Saturday itself. The students who were made to vacate the hostel are Kumar Kartikey Ojha, a seventh semester BSc Hons Agriculture student, Ayush Kumar Tiwari and Ujjwal Panday, two first semester BCA students, and Aayush Kumar Jaiswal, a third semester BCA student.

The two groups had been arguing ever since the India-Pakistan match on 24 October, but there was no physical clash. However, the warden's notice states that the four were engaged in "indisciplinary activities".

According to an inquiry conducted by the institution, four students from Bihar tried to harass Kashmiri students after the Pakistan vs Afghanistan T20 match on 29 October. The warden went through the CCTV footage to confirm the assault. They were later shunted out from the hostel.

What do the students say?

The students who were made to leave, took to social media and alleged that the Kashmiri students were raising anti-India slogans. The students and their supporters tagged the Prime Minister’s Office, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Captain Amarinder Singh and Giriraj Singh in their post, among others.

One of the students wrote on social media that the Kashmiri students were raising anti-India slogans, so they opposed them. He wrote, “Kashmir ke students ne desh virodhi nare lagaye fir humne unka virodh kiya.”

The warden’s notice, however, states that the students were found indulged in indisciplinary activities in the hostel on 30 October. The accusations of harassing Kashmiri students were backed by CCTV footage. The notice also stated that their actions violated the rules of the hostel and the campus.

(With inputs from The Indian Express)