Week’s first working day in educational institutes ends in massive protests, clashes

By Irshad Khan

Srinagar Apr 05: The government’s decision to open educational institutions in Srinagar and other districts backfired as massive student protests erupted across Kashmir on Thursday.
Many girl students were among scores injured in the clashes with the government forces.
A few forces personnel were also injured in the clashes.
At around 11 in the morning, the students at Government Degree College Bemina held protests inside the campus and held funeral in absentia against the South Kashmir killings.
Later on, massive clashes took place between the students and forces personnel deployed in strength outside the college.
Eye witnesses told The Kashmir Monitor that two college students were detained by police for holding protests.
While other students held a sit in against the detention of the two students, the forces barged inside the college premises and “thrashed even the girl students”, many staffers told The Kashmir Monitor.
Seven injured students including 4 girl students and 3 boys were later taken to JVC hospital for treatment.
For failing to prevent the forces from entering into the college premises, a staffer said that some angry students broke windowpanes of the Principal chamber and female staff room.
“They were agitated at the college administration failing to prevent the forces from coming in and thrashing the students,” a faculty member said.
While the college administration did not allow the forces, another faculty member said that the forces entered into the premises “forcibly”.
Similar protests by the students, which later on turned into clashes with the government forces took place at Amar Singh College.
Students at the college, eyewitnesses said, held protests and raised slogans against the South Kashmir killings at around 11 AM.
Later on, the students marched outside the campus and clashed with the government forces deployed there.
The students also set a police post near Indoor Stadium on fire.
Scores of students and a few forces personnel were injured in the clashes as per reports.
At around 1 in the afternoon, students of Women’s College M A Road, S P College and Kothi Bagh Girls School jointly marched in protest against the South Kashmir killings along M A Road in the city centre Lal Chowk.
While the protests were peaceful in the beginning, clashes ensued after a girl student objected to a CRPF man shooting a video of the protests on his phone near Ghanta Ghar.
Several students were injured after forces resorted to tear gas shelling near Court Road.