A day after Kashmiri students of a Baghpat college sought transfer to their native State, Aquib and Younis, two students from Doda district of Jammu, have left the campus. The issue spiralled after Mr. Aquib was thrashed by locals over allegations of harassing a girl.

According to the college management, the matter has been resolved after their intervention while the police say that it was a scuffle between students and outsiders which should not be linked to the ethnicity of the students.

Mr. Aquib denied the charges of harassment to the local media on Wednesday. His classmate Mohd. Irfan told The Hindu over phone that “it was a case of misunderstanding.” “I think he inadvertently brushed the girl the wrong way. He apologised but people asked him about his ethnicity. When he said that he was from Jammu & Kashmir, they started thrashing him. It was wrong and should not have happened. They chased him to the hostel. It created panic among students. It was only after the senior police officers and the management assured us of safety that we decided to stay on,” he said.

Mr. Irfan added that the students were keeping fast during Ramzan and were participating in temple festivities as well.

The incident occurred on Tuesday night at Syadwad Institute of Higher Education and Research during a college function.

“We had a five-day function in the Jain temple on the college premises where students also participated. Some girls had put stalls. One of them charged Aquib, 20, a student under the Himayat scheme of the Central government (a skill training programme for unemployed youth of Jammu & Kashmir) of harassing her by passing obscene comments. Her family members attacked Aquib. The management intervened and a compromise was reached after Aquib apologised for his behaviour. But next morning, he, along with some of his classmates, started protesting outside the campus. We have initiated disciplinary action against Aquib and Younis and they have left the campus as their parents were worried,” said Praveen Malik, registrar.

“We have around 90 students from the State at the Baghpat centre out of which two-three indulge in illegal activities. It was the third time that Aquib was caught in an act of indiscipline,” alleged Azad Elhai, project manager, who was in Srinagar at the time of the incident.

“We have told their parents that such behaviour will not be tolerated,” he added.

‘Matter resolved’

Ranvijay Singh, Additional Superintendent of Police, Baghpat, said, “The matter was resolved when the management brought both the parties together in the presence of the police. But next morning, Aquib said that he had received threat. I asked the students if they would like to file a complaint but they refused. I believe the incident should not be given a communal colour.”