A group of students suspended and expelled from a private university in Meerut for allegedly celebrating Pakistan's win over India in a cricket match last week denied that they were exclusively cheering for Pakistan. They alleged of harassment and said that their rooms were vandalised soon after Pakistan posted a sensational win in the crucial Asia Cup match.
"We cheered for the game of cricket, not for India or Pakistan. The university administration's action and subsequent filing of case by the police on sedition charges is discriminatory and one-sided", said Mutibur Rahman, an expelled student.
As many as 67 students were suspended by authorities in Swami Vivekananda Subharti University after clashes erupted between supporters of Indian and Pakistani cricket teams. The Kashmiri students are reported to have celebrated Pakistan's victory, an affront to the Indian supporters.
The issue has snowballed into a controversy following international media coverage to the incident. While Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has taken up the matter with his UP counterpart Akhilesh Yadav, the Home Ministry has sought a report from the UP Government over the police action.
"We are innocent and did not resort to violence. We are not terrorists but were harassed because we are Kashmiri and we did not support Indian cricket team," said Ajaz Ahmad, another student. He said that the rival students resorted to violence and damaged furniture and windowpanes.
"We were cheering for good cricket but the moment India lost, the mood of the other students changed. They began yelling and abused us of being terrorist and Pakistanis," Rahman said. "The authorities told us to collect our belongings in ten minutes. They said that if we stayed put, the people would have killed us," Ahmad alleged.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who had chosen to remain non-committal over the issue for several days, spoke up on Wednesday describing the students as "misguided" and the charges against them as "unacceptably harsh".
"Sedition charge against Kashmiri students is an unacceptably harsh punishment that will ruin their futures & will further alienate them," Omar tweeted adding, "I believe what the students did was wrong & misguided but they certainly didn't deserve to have charges of sedition slapped against them".
"Finally while what the boys may have done in Meerut is misguided it certainly isn't illegal, regardless of who them were cheering. The sad fact is that some of these students are recipients of the PM scholarship for Kashmiris. Perhaps they need to introspect", he tweeted.
Meanwhile, separatists and human rights groups have raised furore over the alleged maltreatment with Kashmiri students. Hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani has called for protests against the act after Friday prayers.
Coalition of Civil Society, an amalgam of human rights groups asked the state government to intervene for quashing FIR against the students rather than issuing customary statements. " In the instant case, the FIR registered must be immediately quashed, suspension revoked, disciplinary action, and if any necessary penal action, must be taken against the concerned University officials responsible, and all other students responsible for the intimidation, violence and harassment of the Kashmiri students. Kashmiri students are in an extremely insecure and vulnerable position. There must be a universal condemnation of the action in the instant case", CCS patron Parvez Imroz said in a statement.