Students at the Government Polytechnic College in Srinagar and Higher Secondary School, Sopore Thursday staged protests against government forces. The protests later turned violent leaving scores of students injured.

Students at Kashmir Government Polytechnic (KGP) College Gogji Bagh on Thursday staged protest against the detention of students by Police over the past two weeks across Kashmir.

Dozens of polytechnic students from various colleges who had come to appear on their 3rdexams staged protests inside the premises after completion of the exams.

Eyewitnesses said the students later took out protest march outside the college premises amid pro-freedom and anti-India slogans and resorted to stone pelting on a CRPF bunker situated in the vicinity of the college.

However, local police reached the spot and chased the students, triggering clashes in the area.

Eyewitnesses said the Police reached the spot and chased away the protesting students, triggering clashes in the area.

The students after being chased by Police entered the college premises and fought pitched battles with them. However, they said there were no injuries to any during the clashes as police didn’t use any force of the protesting students.

They said the students later left the premises from the backside exit of the College.

Meanwhile, the faculty members ruled out participation of the KGP College students in the protests and stone pelting saying that their (KGP) students had not come to the college as their exam centres have been designated at other places.

“Our 3rd semester exams are going on and exams centres for students from other colleges have been designated here. For our students, exam centres have been set up in other colleges,” they said.

They said hundreds of students appeared in exams and majority of them left the campus after their exams were over.

“But a particular group of students assembled inside the premises and staged protests and were raising slogans as well. They also resorted to stone pelting,” the faculty members said.

This is for the second time that students at KGP College staged protests against the arrest of students and use of force on them.

Earlier, the students were thrashed by the forces who barged inside the College premises after students held protests against detention of students. Reportedly, students were beaten by CRPF inside the premises and also ransacked the vehicles of faculty members parked in the campus.

Meanwhile, scores of students of government higher secondary school Sopore and degree college Sopore observe a protest march in main town sopore.

Witnessed said that students took out a protest March from government boys higher secondary school Sopore towards the degree college. The protesting students who were raising pro-freedom and anti -government slogans, marched through Iqbal market towards degree college Sopore.

The students were protesting against the police crackdown on students throughout valley since last month. Meanwhile, clashes and shutdown were observe in parts of town after students unfurled a Pakistani flag at college tower. However, the forces retaliated with tear smoke and pepper gas shelling to dispersed the agitated students. 

More than two dozen students sustained injuries. Eyewitnesses said that many girl students fainted during the forces action.

Many students also sustained injuries during the police action, sources added.

Guest