Iqra Sadiq of Nawa Kadal Women’s College, who is currently lodged in the SMHS hospital with a broken skull, after she suffered a sling shot injury allegedly by a CRPF man from his bunker near her college, has become the symbol of the students’ agitation in the Kashmir valley.
In spite of closure of all schools by the government for a week, the agitation is going on unabated, with girls from many higher secondary schools joining the street protests in many towns and cities, including Ganderbal.
The agitation started after 60 students sustained injuries at the hands of the police and security forces who forced their way into the campus of Government Degree College for Boys in Pulwama. Although the government ordered a probe and assured the students that the culprits would be booked, students all over Kashmir took to the streets.
At the same time, students in Srinagar said they are eagerly waiting to join classes after schools reopened. “We are for education. But government should allow us to hold peaceful protests to give vent to our feelings,” said, Jozi (name changed), a student of Women’s College, Srinagar.
Amir (name changed) of S.P. Higher Secondary School, who was thrashed by the police while participating in a peaceful protest, said: “We want to study. But the government should not allow the police to enter the colleges and beat us.”
Meanwhile, Iqra Sadiq told the media that Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti met her in the hospital and assured her of all help, including a government job—she said she only wants the CM to book the culprit who is responsible for her present condition. “We were holding a peaceful protest and were allowed by the police to move forward. All of a sudden, from a nearby bunker, I received a sharp stone on my head and I know nothing after that,” Iqra told reporters who visited her in the hospital.
Another girl, Kushboo received a sling shot, allegedly from a CRPF jawan in her head. Pictures of her being taken bleeding to hospital has evoked sharp reactions from the civilians.
Meanwhile, Chinar International released their report “Education and Unrest in Kashmir” in which they have said that students in Kashmir have admitted that the unrest has impacted their education. The study was released for public consultation at the Institute of Management and Public Administration (IMPA) in Srinagar on Thursday.
The study found all the parents in Kashmir want to secure the future of their children. They acknowledged that education was a key factor for their future. The study said most Kashmiri students concede that the unrest impacts their education, but they fix the responsibility of this impact on the government.