Amid confusion and heightened security across Jammu andKashmir, hundreds of students from Srinagar’s National Institute of Technologyon Sunday left for their home states with local administration coming forwardto facilitate their smooth journey.
The students, hailing from different parts of the country,reached the winter capital Jammu from Srinagar around midnight, hoping toreturn to their institute early.
“We were asked to get ready on Saturday morning after anotice by the management informed us that the classes have been suspended tillfurther orders. We boarded buses arranged by the management and reached herearound midnight,” said Amit Kumar, a student from Bihar.
Kumar along with his other classmates were waiting for atrain at Jammu Railway Station to return home.
“We don’t know when the classes will resume. We havebeen told to watch for a fresh notice and ensure our return once the institute reopens,”he said.
Jammu South’s Sub-divisional Magistrate Srikant BalasaheebSuse said around 300 students from NIT Srinagar have left by Madras Janta, SriShakti, Malwa and Hapa express trains.
“The remaining 130 students will be sent through BegamPura express. The district administration is coordinating with railwayauthorities for their safe return from Jammu,” Suse told PTI.
He said the students were provided accommodation andbreakfast at the railway station as part of the efforts to ensure they do notface any hardship.
The NIT issued the notice for suspension of classes onFriday evening and said the notice was issued in accordance with theinstructions received from the Srinagar district administration.
“This is for the information of all students of theinstitute that the classes for all courses stand suspended till furtherorders,” read a notice issued by the NIT registrar.
The Srinagar administration, however, sought to clarify thatthe reason cited by NIT, Srinagar in its notice for suspending classes is acase of miscommunication.
The institution mistook the administration’s advice to alleducational institutions in the district to be watchful, it added.
“The decision to suspend classes is the institute’sown,” said an official statement issued Saturday evening, adding noinstructions for suspension of classes or closure of the institute were issuedby the district administration.
Srinagar District Commissioner Shahid Iqbal Choudhary saidno advice or instructions were issued for closing NIT or any other educationalinstitution in the district.
He said only an advice to be watchful was issued to theheads of all institutions considering the prevailing situation in the district.
He said transportation was arranged upon requests from theNIT management which had received requests in this regard from distressedparents of students.
The Srinagar adminstration’s statement said the NIT Srinagarhas also withdrawn the notice and regretted the error.
The statement said the NIT has “also sought to put onrecord that the institute has prior plans of vacations beginning nextweek”.
It emphasised that the institute’s plan preceded owing tothe prevailing situation and should not be attributed to it.
The statement added that it may be is noted that collegesacross the Kashmir division have already been closed owing to the summervacation beginning August 1.
Security across Jammu and Kashmir, especially in the valley,has been beefed up with the induction of fresh paramilitary forces includingthe Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel who were deployed in the borderdistricts of Poonch and Rajouri in view of the heightened threat perception ofa militant attack, which also prompted suspension of Amarnath, Machail, BudhaAmarnath and Kousar Nag pilgrimages.
Lauding the administration for their assistance, MahaeshwarKumar Yadav, a third semester NIT student, said, “The sudden developmentleft students concerned. We only hope that the situation improves son.”
Moley Parmeshwar Reddy of Andra Pradesh said they areexpecting the college to start functioning once again after August 15.