They are accused of subversion . The students denounce being charged without a fair hearing. Hindu nationalists call for exemplary punishment. The fear is that the case is likely to fuel new tensions between the two countries.

Srinagar ( AsiaNews / Agencies) - Accused of subversion and expelled from the university for having rooted for the opposing team (Pakistan), rather than for their own country (India) . This is what happened to 67 students from Indian Kashmir, who study at a private school in Meerut (Uttar Pradesh) . Two of them "celebrated" when the Pakistani cricket team scored against India in a Asian Cup match. In response, their class mates insulted and attacked them, and the Swami Vivekanand Subharti University reported and expelled them. The accusation seems to have been withdrawn, but not the expulsion . And the case - which has become a joke in international media - is likely to fuel new tensions between the two countries.

For over 60 years the region of Kashmir has been claimed by both India and Pakistan. In 1949 - at the end of the first Indo-Pakistani conflict - the territory was divided : New Delhi got the Jammu and Kashmir, Islamabad the Northern Territory and Azad Kashmir. A division that has not stopped the tensions, setting the two nations in a "war" without end.

The incident occurred on 2 March . After the expulsion, the expelled 67 students returned home, while the Meerut police registered a complaint against them on the basis of sect. 124 ( a) of the Indian Penal Code ("subversion and rebellion"). It is unclear who laid the charges, but it seems that currently it has been withdrawn . However, local representatives of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP , Hindu ultra-nationalist party) continue to demand action against these "anti- nationalist students".

The students complain that they were expelled without being able to give an explanation. One of them, named Saqib says: " We do not deny we applauded when Pakistan won the match. Whenever Pakistan loses, the other students make fun of us. In this case we wanted to cheer, but the others got angry. They insulted us and threw stones at our rooms".

Manzoor Ahmad , vice chancellor of the university , has justified the expulsion saying that "their behavior is not conducive to peace in the campus. The situation could have been worse if the authorities had not expelled them . And since none of them came forward to take responsibility, we have suspended both dormitories".

Omar Abdullah , chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, has expressed his support for the students via Twitter, calling the punishment "unduly harsh". Some commentators in the country noted the paradox of the whole situation: the expelled children were attending that university thanks to a scholarship set up by the Prime Minister of India for deserving students of Kashmir. An initiative that aimed to build new bridges between India and the Kashmiri community.

 

 

• INDIA
• KASHMIR
• students
• expelled
• cricket
• match
• pakistan
• hindu
• nationalists