A varsity in India, which rusticated 67 Kashmir students over the charge of cheering for Pakistan cricket team during a Asia Cup game against Indian in March this year, has pronounced 16 Kashmir students of being guilty of instigating violence on the campus during an internal probe and has cancelled their admissions.
The Swami Vivekananda Subharti University (SVSU) in Meerut has forced the Kashmir students to leave after they cheered for Pakistan team during a cricket match.
Pakistan had defeated India in a nail-biting finish.
The expelled students were ‘forced’ to return to Kashmir and the incident had snowballed into a major controversy.
Police in Uttar Pradesh had also charged students with sedition. However, the charges were dropped after uproar in Kashmir and attention garnered by the incident in international media.
Sources said the varsity authorities in its enquiry have declared that 16 Kashmir students were guilty and have decided not to allow them to re-admit themselves in the varsity.
Soon after the incident, the university authorities had setup a committee for enquiry into the whole episode.
Rabia Baji, who facilitates the admission of Kashmir students in outside universities and colleges under Prime Minister Scholarship Scheme, said that the varsity authorities have found them guilty of creating disturbances after Pakistan defeated India.
“The varsity has disallowed 16 students,” she said, adding: “The step has been taken in order to avoid any kind of disturbance in the future.”
“The varsity authorities don’t want repeat of previous episode. I want them to migrate in any other institution,” she added.
The Pakistan government had stepped into the row and offered admission to the ousted students. Many among the rusticated students had told Kashmir Dispatch that they were willing to take Islamabad’s offer if the New Delhi allowed them to study in the country.
One among the sixteen students whose admissions have been cancelled however said that they were yet to receive any communication of this nature from the varsity.
The students whose admissions have been cancelled were pursuing engineering at the varsity.
