Nishwan Rasool :
Jammu and Kashmir police on Monday used batons to quell ‘solidarity rally’ of the students for the family of drowned student of a missionary school in Lal Chowk area, here.
Scores of students of Tyndale Biscoe and Mallinson school early this morning assembled near Lal Chowk and tried to take out a rally to express solidarity with the family of tenth standard student, Shakir Ashraf Bhat, who drowned in river Jhelum on Friday.
As the students came out of the school, eyewitnesses said a police team intercepted the students and prevented them from taking out the rally. The students, including girls offered stiff resistance and tried to move to Lal Mandi, where the family of the drowned teenage student has been camping for the last four days.
“We had arranged a peaceful solidarity rally today. Police, however, chased and beat us outside the school,” a student, identifying himself as Omer said.
“We were also beaten by police near the footbridge,” he added.
On Friday last week, Shakir and his friend Sheikh Suleman jumped into river Jhelum after they allegedly entered into a bet. While Sheikh successfully swam across, Shaker son of Mohammad Ashraf Bhat of Nowgam, drowned.
Another student wishing not to be named said that many students were injured in the police action.
“We received batons for holding a solidarity rally. Is this justice,” he asked.
The angry students also lashed at the response of the administration over the incident.
“When the principal’s got married we had a week long holiday. But when one of our classmates drowned no one is even bothered to talk about it,” a student said.
Meanwhile, police refuted the allegations and accused the students of indulging in stone pelting.
“The students tried to hurl stones and we had to bring the situation under control” a police official said.
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