dehradun

Updated: Apr 22, 2019 12:57 IST

Kashmiri students of a Dehradun-based private engineering college have alleged that the college authorities have been coaxing them to present the college in ‘good light’ in front of members of Kashmir’s civil society.

The matter pertains to the alleged attacks that took place on Kashmiri students in Dehradun by members of right-wing groups after the Pulwama attacks in Jammu and Kashmir. Students of Baba Farid Institute of Technology (BFIT) said college authorities are asking them to praise the college in front of members of J&K’s civil society who are due for a visit.

“We were informed by our teachers that certain activists and other members of civil society from Kashmir will be visiting the college to interact with the Kashmiri students about what happened here after the Pulwama attack and how the right wing groups of Dehradun were trying to target us,” a third year engineering student of BFIT, said.

“They asked us to project the college and its efforts at that time in a good light and to refrain from making any negative comments,” the student said.

Another second year student from the same college said, “The college authorities got scared and did not do anything for us at that time. They even signed a letter stating they will not give admissions to Kashmiri students from the next academic session and now they want us to lie for them.”

Officials of J&K students’ organisation confirmed the claims. “Many BFIT students have informed us that the college authorities have asked them to say good things about the college in front of the activists. We are aware that certain members of civil society from Kashmir are planning to visit the students in Dehradun but we do not yet have information on who they are,” general secretary of the organisation, Junaid Rather, said.

“When they come here, the first thing we will ask them is where were they when we needed their help and why are they coming here after everything is back to normal,” Rather said.