Srinagar: Following the
unrest at the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Srinagar, around 150
students from different parts of the country led by Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) national secretary R P Singh on Saturday embarked on their journey from
Delhi to Srinagar to show solidarity with the outstation students studying
in Valley premiere engineering college.
Holding the national
flags, students from 12 states assembled in Delhi for ‘Chalo NIT’ march. They
later began their journey to Srinagar on bikes, cars and buses.
The issue of the flag
came under the spotlight when representatives of non-Kashmiri students told the
visiting home ministry team, “The police have our Tricolor. We want it back.”
Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh defended the students’ right to get their
flag back in a media interview, but raised questions about hoisting the Tricolor
during clashes.
Meanwhile, the over five-hour long marathon talks between and
representatives of protesting non-local students remained inconclusive
resulting in the continuation of the deadlock.
Singh held talks with seven representatives of non-local students
along with state Education Minister Naeem Akhtar, a three-member team of Union
HRD Ministry, director of NIT Srinagar and senior civil and police officers at
his official residence in Srinagar.
Singh said most of the demands of the agitating students had been
accepted and were told that shifting of the NIT outside the Valley “was out of
the question”.
Many non-Kashmiri students fear the increased use of the national
flag by fringe elements might lead to more clashes.
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