Several students of Desh Bhagat University in Punjab were assaulted on Thursday afternoon over allegations of blocking the University gate during a protest.
Speaking to The Kashmiriyat, Sheema (name changed), a Kashmiri student said that they have been protesting for around three weeks after the University has illegaly transferred their admissions into another nursing college which lacks INC recognition.
“Before 20 days we went to the Director and asked him when our INC would come. He responded angrily and asked us to take the refund and return home. We told him we are in 3rd year right now and in October we will be starting our 4th year, what will we do? Where will we go, you wasted our time, what will we do with a refund?” said Sheema.
The students went to the nearest police station and filed a complaint after which the students had a meetings with various officials. The students also wrote letters to PNC, INC, and JKNC, but as of now, they have received no response.
During our protests, we sent some of our fellow students to the Punjab Nurses Registration Council (PNRC) in Chandigarh where the Registrar told the students that they had no records of their batch (batch 2020), she said.
Speaking to The Kashmiriyat, Sheema said, “Yesterday there was an inspection in the University and we told them that we would sit peacefully at the gate, but they moved us away using force. The whole faculty had a meeting and protested against us this morning,” she claimed. “They were laughing, clapping, and dancing in front of us to provoke us.”
Making serious allegations, Sheema said, when the students did not pay any heed to them, the Pro-Chancellor came and manhandled the students. “They tore our Abayas, some had bruises even police also did the same and 10 of our girls are at the hospital,” claimed Sheema.
Videos shared with The Kashmiriyat show some female students being dragged on the floor and Abaya of others torn down.
“The majority of us are Jammu Kashmir students. When they gave us admission at that time here in Desh Bhagat University had only one nursing college, and they registered 150 students, when they were allotted approximately 60 seats by the INC,” Sheema said. The University is running two colleges of nursing on the same campus, one where we were enrolled in DBIN and the second Sardar Lal Singh Memorial where we were later transferred, said Sheema.
“At this college, we were promised that we will be given INC registration in 3 months, but we are still waiting, Sheema said.
The Kashmiriyat spoke to the University admission who denied the claims of students being assaulted and said that the students had blocked the gate of the University.
“The University has been shut till further orders and anything beyond that cannot be said. The matter has been handed over to the Police and the administration. They are already discussing the matter,” said an official from the University.