india

Updated: Mar 16, 2016 14:17 IST

A mob beat up four Kashmiri students at a private university in Rajasthan over rumours that they were cooking beef inside their hostel rooms in a campus that is vegetarian by policy.

As reported in the Indian Express newspaper, the incident led to scuffles with Kashmiri students at Mewar University in Chittorgarh. There are around 800 Kashmiri students on campus.

“Some mischief mongers spread rumours that the students were cooking beef. But prima facie it didn’t look like beef. We have sent it for forensic testing just to be sure,” Chittorgarh superintendent of police Prasanna Khamesara told Indian Express.

Some Hindu religious groups protested outside the campus and shouted slogans against the institute’s administration but the police arrived soon after.

The incident comes days after reports that Kolkata police wrote to city college authorities, asking for details of Kashmiri students enrolled there.

The Mewar University administration said the issue was “blown out of proportion” by fringe elements.

“We have students from all over the country…from 23 states. It is like a mini India. Sometimes, these small scuffles happen because people are from different socio-cultural backgrounds,” University media liaison officer Harish Gurnani told Indian Express.