Kashmir student on university-sponsored tour arrested over woman’s ‘misleading tweet’ in Bhopal

Police in India’s Bhopal city have arrested a Kashmiri student who was part of the tour sponsored by Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agriculture Science and Technology Srinagar.

Afterdetention the student has been sent to judicial custody while the authorities here in the university have brought the issue into the notice of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and Kashmir police chief Munir Ahmed Khan.

Sources in the university said that a group of 24 B.Tech students, including 17 girls had gone to Bhopal, Maharashtra and Haryana for 3 months training course.

“After completing their training course, on January 31, these students boarded a train from Bhopal to Delhi. In their AC Coach 12155, a local woman first questioned them why Kashmiris were traveling in a large group in the train. The woman clicked a photograph of their five kg gas cylinder which they were carrying. The woman tweeted that photograph with a caption: ‘Dozens of Kashmiris carrying a bomb in Delhi-bound Bhopal train,” said some students who were part of the tour.

They said that Railway authorities let them off after advising them not to carry gas cylinders next time in the train, but as soon as the train reached Vidisha Railway Station, the police from Habibgunj Police Station directed them to alight from the train, and: “we all were paraded and photographed. The police after questioning, detained one of our fellow student and lodged him at Habibgunj Police Station,” the aggrieved students said and identified the detained student as Muhammad Idress of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

The students said that after approaching police station they came to know that Idrees has been produced before a court and sent to judicial custody.

“We were harassed and abused. The locals as well as police labeled us terrorists,” said the students, adding that pseudo nationalist woman who tweeted the photograph with misleading caption abused them even in front of the police and other locals.

Back in SKUAST, the authorities have expressed anguish over the incident. When contacted, Vice Chancellor, SKUAST, Professor Nazir Ahmed told news agency CNS that the incident has sent shock waves among the students as well staffers.

“We have already dispatched a four member team including HoD, Students Welfare Officer and a senior scientist to Bhopal Madhya Pradesh that will raise this issue with Ministry for Home Affairs as well as Union Agriculture Ministry. We have even brought the issue into the notice of Jammu Kashmir Chief Minister and ADGP who is serving as IGP Kashmir as well,” he said.