Rajnath assures security to students in NIT Srinagar

New Delhi: As tension mounted at the NIT Srinagar campus, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday assured proper security to students studying at the central institute saying there would be no harm to them.

He said he has already spoken to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on the prevailing situation at the National Institute of Technology and she has assured that all students will be safe there.

"There will be no problem. I appeal to all students of NIT that they should remain assured that there will be no harm to them," he told reporters.

Singh said Mehbooba has already apprised him about the situation and said all necessary instructions have been given for the security of students.

"She (Mehbooba) assured that all students will be safe. She said an inquiry will be conducted to find out how the incident happened and also fix responsibility," he said.

The Home Minister said security personnel have been deployed at the engineering institute after the tension there.

"I have also spoken to the Secretary in the HRD Ministry yesterday and I told him to send two director-level officers to NIT Srinagar so that they can talk to the students and instill confidence in them and if there is any problem they should take steps. Accordingly, two officers have gone there," he said.

Singh said HRD Minister Smriti Irani has informed him about the situation at the institute after talking to Mehbooba.

"She (Irani) also said that Mehbooba ji has assured that all students will be safe," he said.

Tension started brewing inside the NIT campus, located on the banks of famous Dal lake, last week after India lost to West Indies in semi-final in the World T20 Cup prompting some local students to rejoice and burst crackers. This was protested by the outstation students resulting in clashes.

Since March 31 night, the situation inside the campus has been volatile and the authorities had posted paramilitary personnel. The local police was manning the main gate of the institute.

The developments prompted NIT authorities to close the campus on Saturday but reopened it on Monday. Last evening, the outstation students tried to march out of the campus saying they wanted to return to their homes.

A senior police official, who attempted to pacify them, was heckled and pushed around resulting in a lathicharge in which four students sustained injuries.