Fearing witch-hunt, Kashmiri students in JNU leave hostels

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• 19 Feb 2016
• Hindustan Times (Mumbai)
• Gulam Jeelani gulam.jeelani@hindustantimes.com
NEW DELHI: Danish ( name changed), a PhD student from south Kashmir’s Anantnag district in Jawaharlal Nehru University, has been changing hostels since February 9, when the row over the ‘anti-national’ event erupted.
Thirty-two-year-old Danish had nothing to do with the event organised by Left-leaning organisations, nor did he lead any of the protests that followed.
But he and about 30-35 other students from the Valley are having sleepless nights fearing a possible ‘witch-hunt’. Most of these students have gone into hiding, reportedly because of their Kashmiri origin.
“Since the day the controversy erupted, there has been a sense of fear among students from Kashmir, more so as the event witnessed pro-freedom slogans for Kashmir,” he said.
All these days, the Kashmiri students have been missing from their hostels fearing a raid. While some have changed hostels on the campus, others are putting up with their friends in other parts of Delhi.
“I have not entered the campus due to fear. I apprehend they might have kept all students from Kashmir under strict surveillance,” said another student from Economics department who has shifted to a friend’s place.
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