In a shocking development, Kashmiri students in two educational institutions of Punjab were attacked after India lost a much-hyped T20 cricket match to Pakistan. Students from UP and Bihar chiefly lead these attacks. While the lumpen elements must be punished and those responsible for students’ security should be taken to task, it is even more important that educational institutions gaze deep into the rot within, says WSN Editor.

India lost yesterday in the cricket ground, and then we also lost the moral game in an institute named after Bhai Gurdas. Reports of Kashmiri students coming under assault in other colleges, institutes, universities have also come in.

Goons need to be taken to task. There cannot be any excuse for such an assault.

Parents of young students should be a worried lot. Your wards do not only learn in the classrooms. Our youth learns from the pervasive culture around them. If they watch differences of opinion being settled in fist fights, then that’s how they will approach difficult situations in life.

The Indian Express today (Oct 25, 2021) has reported that “several Kashmiri students were allegedly attacked at two educational institutions in Punjab” after Pakistan beat India in the ongoing ICC T-20 World Cup on Sunday night.

“Students from Bhai Gurdas Institute of Engineering and Technology in Punjab’s Sangrur district shared videos of the “attack” from inside their hostel post the match. Similar reports also came in from the Rayat Bahra University in Kharar,” the newspaper report said.

We understand that students from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana were among those who thrashed Kashmiri students. Also, reports say locals and Punjabi students played a positive role and rescued them.

Nasir Khuehami, spokesperson for Jammu and Kashmir Student Association, in a Facebook post, said, “Kashmiri Students who were assaulted in Sangur Punjab and Kharar Mohali, told me that they were rescued and saved by only locals and Punjabi students. Students from Bihar, UP, and Haryana barged in their rooms, thrashed them, and went rampage.”

The managements, teachers, government must all introspect. If India loses to Pakistan and young students barge into the rooms of Kashmiri students and beat them up, it means the students are stewing in a concoction of utter hatred and jingoistic ultra-nationalism. The teachers perhaps do not consider it part of the syllabus to address these issues.

Hats off to the students who stood up for their Kashmiri brethern and confronted the goons. That’s the spirit of Punjabiyat. We also appreciate the quick response by the Punjab Police officials and their efforts to reassure the Kashmiri students about their safety. We demand that the goons must be brought to book.