SRINAGAR: In Ganderbal, Jammu and Kashmir, seven students from the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology were arrested following a confrontation with students from outside the Union Territory after India’s loss to Australia in the men’s Cricket World Cup final on November 19, reported The Scroll.
According to a report by Scroll, a copy of the first information report revealed that the students face charges under Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and Sections 505 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code related to public mischief and criminal intimidation.
Confirming the arrests, Ganderbal Superintendent of Police Nikhil Borkar, while speaking to Scroll stated, “We have invoked some sections, but whenever there is an investigation in a case, some sections are added or deleted depending upon the findings of the investigation. The investigation is on, and whatever will be there, we will let you know at that time.”
The case was registered a day after the World Cup final based on a complaint by a student from outside Jammu and Kashmir. The complainant accused seven local Kashmiri students from the university’s veterinary sciences and animal husbandry department of “abusing” and “threatening” him for supporting India. The complaint also mentioned alleged threats of violence, stating, “They also threatened me to shut up, otherwise, I would be shot [sic].”
The complainant further claimed that the accused students shouted pro-Pakistan slogans after the match, creating fear among students from outside the Union Territory. The incident reportedly occurred in one of the two undergraduate hostels of the university’s Shuhama campus in Ganderbal district.
While there was no physical violence or clash, the complainants captured a video of the purported sloganeering inside the hostel, which they submitted to the police. An anonymous university official, as per Scroll stated, “It’s an unfortunate incident. These students are on the verge of the completion of their degrees.” The accused students, mostly fourth-year undergraduates in veterinary sciences and animal husbandry, are currently in police remand.
