NIT Srinagar: Cornered Jammu and Kashmir cops vent anger on social media

Angry at being called anti-national for their action against non-local students of the National Institute of Technology (NIT), senior J&K police officers have taken to social networking sites to vent their frustrations. What has angered these officers, who have been on the fore-front of anti-militancy operations in the state, the most is their removal from the NIT campus and replacement by paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

With the help of the CRPF, the NIT students on Thursday hoisted the tri-colour and sung the national anthem inside the NIT campus.

“Many of my colleagues have been asking, while many more must be thinking, ‘whose war are we fighting?’ All I can tell them is that this is just another phase and this too shall pass. J&K Police doesn’t need any certificate for patriotism.

We must continue doing the good work that we are doing within the ambit of law and nothing shall deter us. The common people whom we serve may be alienated from us for reasons more than one, but our good work shall certainly help us win their hearts someday,” a top police official posted in north Kashmir wrote on his Facebook page.

In a WhatsApp group, a top police official of the rank of Deputy Inspector General wrote: “Jammu and Kashmir Police doesn’t discriminate on the basis of who’s local and who’s nonlocal. Neither do we enjoy beating up people. Force is used only for maintenance of law and order and to disperse unlawful assembly of people.”

Another senior officer of the rank SSP, while defending police response against the NIT students, wrote: “Someone resorting to violence is committing a crime and police knows how to take on crime.”

Another SSP posted in Srinagar wrote: “Police action is not doubted when a student from any other institute is booked for breaking law, but there’s controversy while we are dealing with students of a particular institute!”

“You beat a law enforcement officer for enforcing law. Better start your own police station inside the NIT and tell an engineering student to operate the kotwali,” an officer wrote in his angry post.

Jammu and Kashmir police has maintained that they lathicharged some non-local NIT students as they had resorted to stone pelting on police.

A police spokesman said about 500 NIT students carried banners displaying their demands and tried to take out a march. “They tried to come out on the main road. The police deployment stopped them from doing so and told them to move back. The mob resorted to violence and assaulted the policemen, including officers, and started stone pelting,” the police spokesman said. He added this resulted in damage to public property. “The deployment chased the mob and in this melee some of the students got injured. They were given first aid.”

Police sources said they have identified 20 students and faculty member for inciting students and whipping up passions. Police says they have video recording of the entire episode.