NIT Srinagar Closed For Early Winter Break Amid Protests Over Online Post (image-facebook/NIT Srinagar)
The National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Srinagar has been closed for an early winter break and the students in the campus were asked to leave the premises amid protests over a controversial social media post. The university officials announced the closure in the middle of the semester.
The students were asked to vacate the hostels to prevent further rising of the communal tensions. “All students (boys and girls) are directed to leave the campus/ hostel by or before 10 am tomorrow on December 1,2023,” read a notice issued by the Dean, Students Welfare, NIT. The mess service in the campus too will be suspended from breakfast onwards, it added.
The controversy erupted on Tuesday after a non-local NIT student posted a controversial post which allegedly defamed Muhammed, Islam’s most-revered prophet. This has resulted in huge protest; hundreds of students took to the streets and demanded an immediate action against the accused.
The Jammu & Kashmir administration has also asked other colleges in the region to shut down “due to early onset of winter” and shift their academic activities to online mode as the protest spread to other collages on Wednesday.
The police have charged the accused for hurting the religious sentiment of a community. Heavy security has been placed in the campus to avoid any kind of protests.
The accused, a resident of Maharashtra has fled the campus after uploading the controversial post.
Rashmi Ranjan Swain, Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police has said that a new provision has been introduced under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) to curb the use of social media and the spread of communal disharmony.
“Police has taken cognizance of the incident of uploading of sensitive content against religious sentiments of a particular community by one student of NIT Srinagar. Upon receipt of communication from NIT authorities, case FIR No.156/23 u/s 295A,153A,153 IPC registered in PS Nigeen on 28.11.23,” the Srinagar Police said on X.
He also added that the common public is appealed to desist from spreading rumours or false information. And advised that they shouldn’t fall prey to false propaganda of anti-social elements. Legal actions will be taken against those who indulge themselves in such provocative instigations, he added, reports NDTV.
Political parties including Peoples Democratic Party led by Mahbooba Mufti, National Conference moderate Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and others condemned the allegedly blasphemous post and has also urged the authorities to take strict action against the NIT student, reports the wire.
