Members of the Jammu and Kashmir government will meet protesting students from the National Institute of Technology, Srinagar, later on Saturday, NDTV reported. A meeting that took place between government officials and students late on Friday did not end in any resolution, and protests have continued on Saturday. A group of outstation students began protesting after violent clashes at the university when India lost the World Twenty20 cricket semifinals. Protestors were later lathicharged by state police on Tuesday. Outstation students have demanded they be sent home, and some students have asked that the institution be shifted out of the state.
The Human Resources Development ministry has rejected requests that NIT be moved out of the state. The ministry had sent a three-member panel to investigate the matter. The panel is expected to stay in Srinagar till April 11. Newly-appointed Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has come under criticism for the state’s handling of events at the campus. Mufti has alleged that the controversy was a “non-issue being highlighted by certain people as a communal incident”, reported PTI.
NIT earlier said it would allow students to leave the campus and return home, and would make arrangements for them to take examinations later. The state government also appointed a panel to investigate the matter, though state police defended their actions.
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