Alleged anti-India sloganeering lead to clashes between students, stranded Valley passengers

Situation under control; Police lodges 2 Cases

JAMMU: A scuffle broke out between a group of students and some stranded Kashmir-bound passengers outside the Gandhi Memorial Science College here on Monday after the latter allegedly raised anti-national slogans protesting against delay in their airlifting to Srinagar.

The timely intervention by police brought the situation under control, even as it filed two separate cases—one against those raising slogans, and others involved in violence and disturbance of law and order.

The clash took place when the students came out of the college to protest alleged chanting of "objectionable slogans" by some of the stranded passengers while protesting the alleged failure of the administration to help them in the hour of crisis, the officials said.

They said police immediately swung into action and resorted to mild baton charge to disperse the clashing parties and to bring the situation under control.

Thousands of Kashmir-bound passengers, including students, are stranded in Jammu following the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway over the past six days owing to heavy snowfall and rains which triggered multiple landslides.

A large group of the stranded passengers, including students, had come for their registration at a hostel for their subsequent airlifting by the Indian Air Force (IAF) to the valley but blocked the Canal Road outside the college to protest the delay in their airlifting and lack of facilities.

In the meantime, a group of students came out from the college and accused them of raising "pro-Pakistan" and "anti-India" slogans, leading to a brief clash, the officials said.

Senior superintendent of police, Jammu, Tejinder Singh, when contacted, said police acted immediately and segregated the clashing groups and made additional deployments to maintain law and order.

He said police had taken cognisance of the incident and assured action if anyone was found involved in raising "anti-national" slogans.

Later, Police filed two separate cases into the raising of anti-national slogans, and scuffle between stranded Kashmiri passengers and students of Science College Jammu.

Police have filed two separate cases under FIR numbers 14/2019 under sections 147, 148, 336, 427, 124, 341 (against those who raised anti-national slogans and indulged in violence) and 15 /2019 under section 336 (scuffle between the students and the Kashmiris which led to disturbance), a police officer of police station Nowabad, Jammu told.

SSP Jammu, Tejinder Singh said two separate cases were registered and investigations have been taken up.

“We have taken cognizance and those raising anti-national slogans are being segregated,” the SSP said.