Govt.Fails To Break NIT Srinagar Impasse
SRINAGAR : The Jammu and Kashmir government will hold another meeting with protesting students at NIT Srinagar today after an earlier meeting late last night failed to end the protests and bring students back to their classes. The non-local students have been demanding moving the NIT out of Srinagar.
Friday’s meeting was held at Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh’s house in Srinagar. State Education Minister Naeem Akhtar, a three-member team of the Education Ministry, NIT Srinagar Director Rohit Gupta and senior civil and police officers were also present at the five-hour long meeting.
Highly placed sources in the state government say Mr Singh told the students in response to their demands it has no jurisdiction over exams at the institute or providing facilities on the campus.
He however said, the government will provide “adequate security on the campus.” Sources say during the meeting students asked for better facilities on the campus and postponing exams.
The NIT campus saw clashes between police and non-local students on April 5. The protesting students have said they fear for their safety and demanded that the NIT campus be shifted out of Srinagar. A demand, sources said, has been rejected.
“Students were asked to make a list of grievances which will be forwarded by the government to the board of governors of NIT,” a highly placed source in the government told NDTV. “Exams will begin on the 11th of this month as scheduled but all those students who want to go home and not appear in exams, government will facilitate that. Alternate arrangements will be made for them to appear in exams on a later date,” he added.
