Kashmiri students face harassment, social isolation after ‘White-Collar Terror’ arrests: Report
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Srinagar: In a concerning development, Kashmiri students studying outside the Union Territory are reporting increasing harassment, social isolation and suspicion following the arrests linked to “white-collar terror module” and the recent Red Fort blast.
Multiple accounts from students across northern Indian states shared that the atmosphere around them changed abruptly after the arrest of two Kashmiri doctors accused of having ties to the alleged module, reported by Deccan Herald on Wednesday.
What began as security checks, students said, has now seeped into daily discrimination and suspicion.
Some students shared that they were refused basic services such as groceries at local shops. Others reported that classmates made insinuations about their families having terror links after the Delhi explosion. Many described a shift in how landlords, neighbours and peers treated them, marked by mistrust, side-glances,and, at times, direct intimidation, added the report.
In Faridabad, more than 2,000 Kashmiri students living in rented accommodations were recently questioned by local police to verify any possible connection to the module. Students said that although the checks were presented as routine security measures, the scale and tone of the exercise left them feeling targeted and vulnerable.
Political leaders and civil society groups in Jammu and Kashmir have urged the Centre to ensure that counter-terror investigations do not lead to blanket suspicion of Kashmiri youth. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah appealed to the Union government and security agencies on Tuesday to distinguish clearly between pursuing those responsible for the blast and stereotyping an entire community. “The guilty must face the harshest legal consequences but innocent students and ordinary citizens must not be made collateral damage in the process,” he said.
The J&K Students Association also issued a statement saying that Kashmiri students in several northern states are being subjected to profiling, sudden evictions, unexplained interrogations and intimidation linked to the Red Fort incident. Calling the situation deeply troubling, the Association urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to step in to safeguard the rights, dignity and safety of Kashmiri students studying outside the Union Territory.
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Snowfall blocks two key roads providing alternative connectivity to Kashmir
Rajouri/Jammu (PTI): Traffic on the Mughal and Sinthan Top roads, which provide alternate connectivity to Kashmir, was temporarily suspended on Sunday due to light to moderate snowfall in the high-altitude areas of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
However, traffic on the 270-kilometre Jammu-Srinagar national highway -- the only all weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country -- was plying as usual despite intermittent rains that ended the over one-and-a-half months long dry spell, they said.
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The Mughal road, which connects the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri with south Kashmir's Shopian, was closed for traffic as a precautionary measure after more than three inches of snow was recorded at Peer Ki Gali on Sunday afternoon.
A group of three tea vendors are left stranded on the road and efforts are on to evacuate them to safety, officials said.
After they were trapped in the snow, the vendors made passionate appeals through video messages urging the authorities to rescue them. The Border Roads Organisation has taken up snow clearance work and is trying to reach the stranded persons, officials said.
The Sinthan Top road, which connects Kishtwar and Doda districts in Jammu with south Kashmir's Anantnag, was also closed after moderate snowfall in the higher reaches.
Both the mountainous roads usually remain closed for several months due to heavy snowfall during winter.
