Colleges directed to ensure safety of Kashmiri students in Gurugram

The department of higher education has directed colleges to ensure that adequate security measures are adopted to ensure the safety of students from Jammu and Kashmir. Colleges have also been asked to maintain a vigil on the circulation of false, unverified news, rumours and unscrupulous messages through social media, as per a top-priority circular issued Monday.

While most government colleges in the city said that they did not have any Kashmiri student on their register, others are taking precautions. “We checked our records after receiving the advisory, but no Kashmiri student is studying in our college,” said Pooja Khullar, principal, Dronacharya Government College.

The principal of Government College in Sector 9 also denied having any Kashmiri student on their campus. Vijay Adlakha, principal of Government Girls College, Sector 14, said that despite having no Kashmiri student on its campus, the hostel warden and other security personnel had been made aware of the advisory.

Private universities in the state, however, said that they have taken cognizance of the advisory and are ensuring that the safety of students is not compromised.

“We are a secular university and do not differentiate between any students on the basis of their geographical location, be it any place in India or outside. The advisory issued by the government has been shared with the university’s hostels and various departments. The security of Kashmiri students is of primary importance for us,” said GS Bal, dean of student welfare, Amity University, Gurugram. The university has 72 students from Jammu and Kashmir in undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

Officials of SGT University, in Budhera, have also taken precautionary steps. “As per the guidelines issued by the higher education department, we are ensuring that students of our university stay safe. We have a police post on the premises of the university and police have extended their support. As a precautionary measure, the registrar has shared the contact details of the students with the police,” said Rajneesh Yadav, public relations officer of the university.

First Published: Aug 06, 2019 21:40 IST