Kashmir University students side with sepratists

Hakeem Irfan

As the Srinagar parliamentary constituency is going to polls on May 07, students of Kashmir University Wednesday organized election boycott march in the campus raising slogans in favor of right to self determination and against the process of elections.

Hundreds of KU students assembled near law department of KU in the afternoon in wake of the election boycott call by the pro freedom leadership and against the religious intervention by the authorities.

Chairman Hurriyat (G) Syed Ali Geelani had called for an election boycott and also appealed masses to protest peacefully against the elections.

Chairman Hurriyat (M) Mirwaiz Muhammad Umar Farooq had also appealed people to wear black bands on May 04 as a mark of protest against the ‘religious intervention’ by the authorities.

Earlier authorities restricted the masses to offer Friday prayers at Jamia Masjid and other adjacent masjids by imposing strict restrictions in and around the old city for two consecutive Fridays.

“We want right to self determination. Elections are a futile exercise. Every one of us will boycott the elections and people outside should also do the same,” said a student of management studies who wished not to be named.

‘No elections-No selection-only way is Plebiscite’, ‘India go back’, ‘We want freedom’, ‘Masjideen Hamari Jaan se Pyari’ , ‘Islam Zindabaad’ , ‘Long live revolution’ slogans reverberated the atmosphere in the campus as the students continued to march in university lawns.

Students went to different departments urging the fellows to join in the protests. Departmental work was affected for two hours in the university as the students demonstrated in front of each department.

 According to a student the police in-charge in the university had asked them not to raise any pro freedom slogans but nobody paid heed to that.

“We don’t want jobs and never care about the development. We believe that freedom will bring everything with it. Troops should move out of the Kashmir. Our leaders should be released,” said Malik Akhter while addressing the gathering near the English department.

Marching towards the Maulana Roomi gate of KU students halted at the Vice Chancellor’s secretariat and raised slogans in favor of freedom, against the religious intervention and election boycott full throated.

“They have started to restrict us even from prayers. We cannot bear that. State is forcing the educated youth to take up guns again,” said a student of Urdu department who was also leading the sloganeering.

 Students also raised slogans against the National Conference, People’s Democratic Party, Congress and other pro India parties.

“Down with Omar Abdullah, we fear none other than Allah,” was the resonating response of the students to a call from one of the protestors.

“Our masjids are being haunted by the troopesr and police. How can we remain silent? All this is the manifestation of the oppression we are facing,” said Nimer Qayoom a student of management studies.

Students were not allowed to move out from the gate and the media persons too were not allowed to move in. 

The students were also wearing black bands as a mark of protest and later dispersed peacefully.