Punjab: ‘Threatened by radical groups’, students head to shelter home

JKSO president Khwaja Itrat said, “We received information from Kashmiri students studying in Dehradun that some radical outfits had threatened them. A few of them wanted to come back to a safe and secure environment. We have enough accommodation for 70 to 80 students.”

Nasir Khuehami, spokesperson of the JKSO, said, “Around 40 students have left for Chandigarh by road. They shall be staying with members of our organisation in Landran. Kashmiri students in Dehradun are in a state of fear following threats by some radical groups.”

“The students are facing a lot of problems as all of them cannot not afford airfare and trains are not safe. Many preferred to pool money to hire taxis,” he added.

Yawar Amin, a student of a private institute in Dehradun, reached Chandigarh late evening. “Some local people were abusing us. We somehow booked a taxi and left Dehradun. But there are hundreds of Kashmiri students stranded there,” he told this newspaper.

“We spoke with our parents who told us that the situation was not favourable back home either. Hence they advised us to look for a safe environment,” he added.