by Aabid Hussain
SRINAGAR: In twin sports events in the Jammu University campus, it was a balance. While the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) defeated the Jammu University football team, the host university won a match against Kashmir University.
Islamic University of Science and Technology, wins the state university championship by 1-0, despite being stopped by ABVP activists on Friday. IUST team was not allowed to play the final match against university of Jammu on Friday.
“Yesterday they didn’t allow us to play the match taking some strange excuse,” one of the IUST players told Kashmir Life from Jammu. “Today the ground was surrounded by security and we didn’t face any panic and defeated them by 1-0”.
Activists of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of right wing Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), on Friday reportedly stopped the football match between the IUST team and Jammu University team alleging disrespect to National Anthem. “Some forty men were waving ABVP flags and warning us that we will have to sing Vande Matram, if you want to live here,” a member accompanying the IUST team said.
This led the visiting football team to retreat and take rest as the match-managers cancelled the match for the day. However, IUST team refuted allegations of disrespecting national anthem, saying they stood up in respect when the anthem was played in the begging of the match.
Saturday morning when the two matches were face to face, there were enough security arrangements around. They played the match and it ended with defeat to the Jammu University team.
Interestingly, later in the day there was a cricket match between Jammu University team and the Kashmir University team. It was won by the Jammu University by four runs.
The cricket loss coincided, interestingly with the loss in volley ball too. Jammu University defeated the Kashmir University team in yet another match.
“It was impact of the situation that was brewing up in the camps for lost few days,” an official of the Kashmir University accompanying the teams said. “There was a situation that it led to cancellation of the match on Friday and that had an impact on the players who were demoralised and not in good form.”
In the last few days the situation in Jammu is getting slightly different. The tensions increased after the Jammu chamber threatened to “identify and kill” the Rohangya refugees. The right wingers had taken the UNHRC registered refugees to the court but failed to get any relief. Now the private players are commenting publicly that has added to the tensions.
(Photographs used in this copy are file pics from Kashmir Life archives)
