Students block road over detention of 4 protesters

Students block road over detention of 4 protesters Archit Watts/TNS

Jammu, November 11
On National Education Day, when Education Minister Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed was chairing a programme to commemorate the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad at the Zorawar Singh Auditorium in the University of Jammu (JU), the student community held a massive protest demonstration on the campus and later blocked the road leading to it for more than two hours.

Nearly 50 students were holding a peaceful protest demonstration on the university campus and requesting other students to boycott their classes when a police party, anticipating trouble during the Education Minister’s programme, detained four protesting students. This led to the blockade of the university road around 1 pm by the protesting students.

The students were lodging a protest demonstration against the new recruitment policy of the state government, under which all new recruits (non-gazzetted) would get 50 per cent of their basic salary for the first two years and 75 per cent of the basic salary for the next three years.

As soon as the news of detention of the four students spread, a number of students descended on the road opposite the university under the banner of the Progressive Students’ Association (PSA) and the Youth of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, demanding unconditional release of their activists.

Sensing the gravity of matter, all senior officials of the district administration, including the duty magistrate, SP and the DSP reached the spot.

Despite their assurances that the students would be released in the evening, the protesters did not end their protest and demanded the immediate release of the students.

The agitating students, including girls, sang patriotic songs and raised anti-government slogans against Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for clearing the recruitment policy, which they termed “anti-youth”.

While demanding the unconditional release of their activists, they also raised slogans against the area Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajeshwar Singh, alleging that the officer had given them the assurance that their activists would be released within minutes.

Meanwhile, the university security closed the main entrance to the campus. No one was allowed to go inside or come out for almost one hour.

Traffic was also diverted from Bikram Chowk and rotary outside the police headquarters, as the students had blocked the road.

Later, with the efforts of the police, the road was opened around 3 pm. But, a large number of students remained present outside the university till late evening.

“We will continue our protest against Chief Minister Omar Abdullah till he revokes this anti-youth policy. The present coalition government is playing cheap tactics to suppress our voice, but we will stick to our genuine demand,” said Suresh Ajay Magotra, chairman of the Youth of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.

Later, the police released all four detained students, which defused the tension.