Post clampdown:Dehradun Colleges demand late fee, fine from Kashmiri students

Srinagar, Dec 2: More than 3000 Kashmiri students in Dehradun are at the receiving end after colleges allegedly charged them late fee and fined them for unable to manage their academic schedule.

Post abrogation of Article 370, students were unable to attend their colleges and pay their semester fee due to the unprecedented clampdown in the valley

Students alleged that they are being charged “random amount ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 12,000” for failing to submit their fee on time and attendance shortage.

A Kashmiri student studying at Baba Fareed Institute of Technology (BFIT) in Dehradun said their classes started in August when the valley was under stringent curfew and he was unable to reach his college.

“Neither could we submit our semester fee due to internet blackout nor were we able to move out of Kashmir. The contact was totally lost. When the situation eased, I managed to reach the college in September,” he said..

According to him, more than 150 students from Kashmir are studying in BFIT and most of them have 40 – 50 % attendance shortage.    “It is highly unjustified to charge money for something we didn’t have any control over”, he said.

Nasir Khuehami, spokesperson of Jammu and Kashmir Students Association, claimed that there are more than 3000 Kashmiri students in Dehradun who are being asked to pay late fees and short attendance fines.

Registrar, BFIT, Bopender Singh Arora said fee was due to be paid in July and not in November. “The relaxation will be given to those Kashmiri students only who were absent in those months when the situation was not feasible in the valley,” he said. 

Uttarakhand minister and government spokesman MadanKaushik told The Kashmir Monitor that this is well-known fact that Kashmir was placed under curfew after Article 370 abrogation.

“Administration has held meeting with the education minister in this regard. Final decision on the issue will be taken tomorrow (Tuesday). Students will get relaxation on the extra fine charged for late submission. Only the actual fine will be charged from the Kashmiri students,” he said.