Following reports of backlash, J&K students head back home from Punjab
Following reports of backlash after the recent terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam, a significant number of students from Jammu and Kashmir enrolled in colleges across Punjab have opted to return to their homes.
Approximately 350 students from the Jalandhar area departed today from their respective colleges. This group included over 200 students from CT Institutes, 50 from St Soldier Institutes, 46 from Lovely Professional University (LPU), and 24 from Lyallpur Khalsa College Technical Campus, among others.
From Amritsar, at least 20 students, have returned to Jammu and Kashmir despite their semester examinations commencing later this week. These include mostly girls hailing from Anantnag, Baramulla and Srinagar,
Dr KNS Kang, Director, PCTE, Ludhiana, stated that none of their 50 Kashmiri students, comprising an equal number of Hindu and Muslim students, had requested to be sent back. Similarly, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), with 25 Kashmiri students, and Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU), with 10, have reported no such requests.
In Jalandhar, students decided to return after IK Gujral Punjab Technical University, CT University, and LPU granted them permission to skip their May examinations, offering a special provision to appear in June or July. However, Kashmiri students attending colleges affiliated with Guru Nanak Dev University in the region are still awaiting a similar extension for their end-of-semester examinations.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Kashmiri student from Government Polytechnic College, Amritsar, said, “Our parents back home are in panic due to the tense situation at the border. While we do not face any immediate threat or untoward incidents here, the parents of girls are particularly worried.”
On the other hand, Keshav, a BBA second-semester student at DAV College, Amritsar, asserted, “Amritsar is absolutely safe. There are 15 students from J&K in our hostel, and all of them will be taking their exams. We do not feel unsafe, and the situation here is fine.”
It is noteworthy that Punjab Education Minister Harjot Bains had previously announced that the state would provide a special opportunity for students from Kashmir to appear in their examinations if they were to miss them.
Inputs by Deepkamal Kaur, Nikhil Bhardwaj and Neha Walia
J & K