Srinagar: Amidst a complete shutdown across the Kashmir Valley, students in Kashmir University on Monday offered funeral prayers in absentia for the militants and civilians killed during the three gunfights in Anantnag and Shopian district on Sunday.

Eye witnesses said the students of Zakura hostel, M.A hostel and M.A.K hostel came out on the roads in the University campus and marched towards the convocation complex amid protests and pro-freedom slogans.

“The police which was deployed inside the varsity tried to chase the protesting students near Iqbal Library but the cops couldn’t bring the situation under control,” witnesses said.

They said that funeral prayers in absentia were offered as the students reached outside the premises of convocation complex where 13th J&K Science Congress 2018 was underway.

Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra was also present at the event. However, the minister for education and finance Syed Muhammad Altaf Bukhari, Minister for technical education Imran Ansari and social welfare minister Sajad Gani Lone stayed away from the function organised at the Kashmir University.

Reports, said a student sustained injuries after police tried to chase away protesting students near Iqbal Library.

“But police exercised maximum restrain and  did not resort to shelling or cane charging. The police only ran after the students to disperse them, but failed,” said another student, who was part of the protest.

He said the students later called-off their protest after offering funeral prayers in absentia for thirteen militants and four civilians killed yesterday.

Meanwhile, female boarders of all girls’ hostels also held protests against the civilian and militant killings.

“The students held demonstrations inside their hostels as the main gates were closed to prevent the boarders from coming out,” a protesting student informed.

The students of Kashmir University staged massive protests during early hours to oppose the varsity’s decision to hold the 13th J&K Science Congress (2018) function despite the  Shopian civilian killings.

“The students assembled here against the varsity administration for organising the function despite the civilian killings in the Valley,” he said.

He said the students questioned the varsity decision, saying that time was not conducive for hosting this function.

“People are being killed and the university has invited guests from outside the state. They want to show everything is normal here,” one of the protesting students said.

Notably, four civilians were killed after forces opened fire on protesters who were trying to help the trapped militants escape from the cordon in Kachdoora and Dragad villages of the Shopian district. 13 militants and three soldiers were killed in three separate gunfights in Shopian and Anantnag on Sunday.

Pertinently, all the educational institutions were closed on Monday while as class work was suspended in all the Universities as well.

Guest