Fearing more assault on their students in trains on Deoband-Delhi Railway route, leading Islamic Seminary, Darul Uloom Deoband plans to cancel the Eid-uz-Zuha holidays. Though, the local administration has assured to provide appropriate security on the route.
Notably, in past two months more than 50 cases of thrashing seminary students in trains have been reported. The seminary authorities had written letters to central government and ministry of railways over the issue.
"Traveling in trains had become a nightmare for the students as in past two months many students of the seminary had been assaulted by mischief mongers. The seminary authorities had been thinking to cancel their Eid-uz-Zuha holidays this year," Public Relation Officer (PRO) of Seminary, Ashraf Usmani told The Pioneer over phone.
It may be mentioned that due to security issues, seminary’s Executive Committee meet was postponed. The meeting was scheduled on September 23. Usmani said as the series of assaulting Muslims had not stopped on trains, we cannot risk the lives of students as when they will be going to their native places through trains, the miscreants will again target them. "Even this was reason for postponing EC meeting as elderly members cannot be put at risk," he added.
The festival of Eid-uz-Zuha will be falling on October 16 or October 17 and more than 5000 students of seminary were granted holidays of 15 days for visiting their native place to celebrate the festival.
A couple of days back SP Crime and ADM had meeting with Seminary authorities to assure that while the students will start leaving on holidays, they will provide security on the route. In the meeting, the government officials opined that it will send a wrong message to other parts of the country from where these students belong when they will not reach home to celebrate the festival.
"These issues will be taken up in Majlis-e-Talimi (Committee of Seminary Officials) for taking final decision on the issue. Though the assurance had been taken positively by the seminary but committee will take final decision after observing all the aspects in a two three days," said Usmani. The seminary students start leaving to their homes at least a week before the festival because they belong to different states of the country.