'Hostel mess in Srinagar named after Osama

NEW DELHI, MAY 10. Nearly 250 students of the Regional Engineering College (REC) at Srinagar, have fled the institution alleging harassment by local students and are sitting in dharna here demanding the government's intervention.

The students, who are from outside the Valley and include three Muslims from Bihar, say the college has become a hub of anti- India activities with even the hostel mess named after the Afghan fugitive terrorist, Osama bin Laden.

Some senior students, who are locals, have displayed the photographs of Maulana Massood Azhar, one of the three terrorists released in exchange for the freeinig of the hostages aboard the hijacked Indian Airlines Airbus IC-814 early this year.

The students who have been camping in the capital for the past one month, met the Human Resource Development Minister, Dr. Murli Mahonar Joshi, yesterday. They have also petitioned the Home Minister, Mr. L.K. Advani, and the Home Secretary, Mr. Kamal Pande, but have got ``only assurances.''

The students, who requested anonymity, told UNI that some of them who had been in the college for the past three years completed only three semesters while they were required to complete eight semesters in four years. They attended only seven classes between March 1 and April 17.

``Our mess is named Osama bin Laden mess. Anti-India slogans appear on our classroom walls. We are forced to watch Pakistan television. A cricket match between India and another country decides our fate for the coming few days. If India wins, we are beaten up. Any confrontation between two students, including a local and one from outside the Valley, is dubbed a confrontation between Indians and anti-Indians.'' Any cultural activity by students from outside the Valley is dubbed anti- Islamic. In one instance the stage was set on fire and the participants were beaten up.

Some students allege they have been facing ``ragging'' continuously for the past three years. Sometimes they are woken up in the middle of the night. They were asked to raise anti- India slogans and if they refused, they would be beaten up.

They say the college authorities have sent the notice asking them to report, failing which they would be suspended. ``How can we go back under such circumstances. We have been requesting the authorities to absorb us in any engineering college in the country but nobody heeds our request.''

- UNI

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