The Jammu and Kashmir students association on Friday, 29 October, said that it has prepared a list of colleges in India, in which Kashmiri students are unnecessarily harassed, calling for them to be blacklisted.
Issuing a statement, spokesperson of the association Nasir Khuehami said, the association has "prepared a list of colleges outside J&K where Kashmiri students are unnecessarily intimidated, harassed and subjected to mental and physical torture whenever there is a political or sports event nationally or internationally".
He added that Kashmiri students who travel to other Indian states for studies have nothing to do with politics.
"Those trying to give political or religious colour to the local students studying in colleges outside J&K have vested interests who are damaging the fabric of the country."Nasir Khuehami, spokesperson, Jammu and Kashmir students association
Further, he said that the association is in touch with state administrations of Punjab, Karnataka, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, in order to ensure the safety of Kashmiri students enrolled there.
Speaking on the media's role in exacerbating these concerns, Khuehami said that a section of the media negatively portrays Kashmiri students, consequently making them victims of this image.
Reiterating this, National Secretary of Association, Davood Ahmad added, "The bad image of Kashmiris is orchestrated from the media houses and replicated on the ground by these anti-social elements."
Highlighting that Kashmiris become a 'soft target' in India, he said that many institutions have sad stories of identity-based discrimination, even as they claim to be highly disciplined and claim zero tolerance for this behaviour.
Background
The development comes after three students of RBS college, Inayat Altaf Shaikh, Showkat Ahmad Gani, and Arshad Yusuf were accused of raising anti-national slogans of 'Bharat Tere Tukde Honge', Pakistan Zindabad, and putting up anti-India slogans on social media through their WhatsApp status.
Furthermore, students, wardens, and staff belonging to two medical colleges in Kashmir were reportedly booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) after they allegedly celebrated Pakistan's victory in the India-Pakistan T20 World Cup match on Sunday, 24 October.
As per The Kashmir Walla, on Sunday night, following Pakistan's victory in the match, at least 14 Kashmiri students were thrashed in different cities and seven of them sustained injuries.
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