Noida, October 6: Over 350 students of the Sharda University in Greater Noida have been booked for rioting and related offences after a student from Kashmir was beaten up during a fight between two groups of Indian and Afghanistan students.
The fight on October 4 follows another incident which took place on October 1 after a video surfaced on social media purportedly showed three Afghan students at the private university roughing up the Kashmiri student.
WhatsApp message provokes tension
“A student from Kashmir was roughed up by other students who is said to have posted provocative messages on a WhatsApp group from the side of the Afghan students involved in the fight on Monday. These Indian students were apparently aggrieved over the university’s lackadaisical approach on the matter,” a senior police official was quoted as saying by a news agency.
He further said that the student has suffered minor injuries, more of punches and slaps, but was sent for medical examination so that it could be checked if there is any internal injury or not.
The police official also alleged lack of cooperation from the university and said, “The officials of the deemed university have gone careless on the matter simmering since Monday and that has led to this situation.”
“We have booked 350-400 students, Indians and Afghans both, and we are probing the matter. Students are being identified on the basis of the footage that has surfaced and we will soon quiz them and initiate action,” he said.
A case has been registered at the Knowledge Park police station.
Classes suspended
Meanwhile, the university has announced that classes would remain suspended till Sunday.
The university has also suspended the three students allegedly involved in the Monday fight. It has also stepped up security on its premises and denied entry to outsiders, including the press.
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik spoke to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over phone and urged him to ensure safety and security of Kashmiri students studying in t state.
“The governor Friday morning spoke to the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, urging him to ensure that Kashmiri students are provided a safe and secure environment in the educational institutions of the state,” an official spokesman was quoted as saying by a news channel.
“He (Adityanath) has told the governor that the Uttar Pradesh government has already ordered an inquiry into the incident and assured that all measures would be taken to ensure the safety of Kashmiri students so that they can continue their studies in a safe environment,” the official added.