Row over cricket match snowballs in Indian-controlled Kashmir's top engineering college

SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, April 7 (Xinhua) - - Local government Thursday ordered an inquiry into the allegations of police excesses meted out to the students at National Institute of Technology (NIT), a premier engineering institute in Indian-controlled Kashmir, officials said.

"Additional Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar has been asked to conduct inquiry into the incident at NIT and submit its report within 15 days," Naeem Akhtar, a local minister said. "The situation in NIT is being closely monitored by the state administration, officials of the Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry and NIT and all the issues will be resolved soon."

Tension griped the college campus in Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir following a row over a T20 cricket match on March 31 between India and West Indies.

Reports said local students celebrated defeat of Indian cricket team in the world cup semi-final at the hands of West Indies, which was opposed by the non-local students from different Indian states enrolled in the college. Disagreement between the two groups led to sloganeering with non-locals chanting pro-India and locals responding by anti-India and pro-freedom slogans.

Next morning the campus witnessed protests from both groups, besides a scuffle between the two sides.

"Whatever happened in the night after the match, the next day both locals and non-locals staged protests, after which classwork was suspended and police called in to restore order," an official at NIT, authorized not to talk to media told Xinhua.

As deadlock continued for days together, on Tuesday the non-local students staged another protest march carrying India's national flag and shouting Indian patriotic slogans. However, policemen stopped students from marching outside the campus using batons. The police action left several students injured.

The news of police actions against non-locals triggered panic buttons with students seeking help from India's federal government and political parties issuing statements condemning police action.

Police officials said the non-local students attacked policemen on duty with stones and resorted to vandalism at the campus.

Celebrating victory of West Indies has much to do with the anti-India sentiment prevalent in Indian-controlled Kashmir. A separatist movement and guerilla war challenging New Delhis rule is going on in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989.

Authorities have deployed paramilitary troopers in the campus to maintain order.

The federal government Wednesday rushed a three-member HRD team reached NIT to talk to students and find out the reasons that triggered crisis-like situation.

Reports said some of the non-local students put a list of demands to the visiting delegation which included shifting of institute out of Kashmir, action against policemen, hoisting of Indian flag at the institute and postponement of examination.

Shouting of "patriotic" slogans and waving of Indian national flag by non-locals during the row was largely seen as an effort by students to declare themselves as "pro-nationals", a discussion that divides India of late.

The incident comes around two months after protests at India's prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University, where five students including their president were arrested on "sedition" charges for allegedly chanting "anti-national" slogans during an event.

The arrests led to massive protests and clashes across India, besides generating a debate over "freedom of expression" in India at large.

Though students were released on bail and their arrests evoked condemnation, government however refuses to back down and vows to punish them.

Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh meanwhile has talked to Mehbooba Mufti, the region's new Chief Minister and sought assurances over the unrest at NIT. Endit