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UP varsity suspends 67 Kashmiri students for celebrating Pakistan`s victory over India

A prominent university in Uttar Pradesh has suspended 67 of its students from Kashmir and sent them back home for celebrating Pakistan`s victory over India in a Asia Cup match on Sunday.

Zee Media Bureau
Meerut : A prominent university in Uttar Pradesh has suspended 67 of its students from Kashmir and sent them back home for celebrating Pakistan`s victory over India in a Asia Cup match on Sunday. The development was confirmed to the media by Dr Manzoor Ahmad the Vice-chancellor of Swami Vivekanand Subharti University (SVSU) on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters, Ahmad said, “I was taken aback by such an unacceptable gesture of a few students." However, the top officials have now ordered an inquiry into the matter. The group of Kashmiri students who were suspended had watched the India-Pakistan cricket match in the Madan Dhingra Hall in the University on Sunday. The group cheered every time an Indian wicket fell and later went on to celebrate the victory of Pakistan. "The students were suspended for creating a ruckus on campus and shouting pro-Pakistan slogans, which caused tension on the campus," RK Garg, the University Registrar, told a leading Hindi news channel. The varsity authorities were expecting the students to apologise. But when that did not happen, they took the decision of suspending them. The authorities had reported the matter to the police after realising that anger was brewing among the local students living in other hostels after the Kashmiri students celebrated Pakistan`s victory and shouted slogans in the campus. It is learnt that more than 200 girls and boys from different parts of Jammu and Kashmir are pursuing various courses in the university. “The decision to suspend the students was taken by the varsity authorities without consulting the police or the district administration,” the SSP said. Though few parents are happy with the step taken by the authorities. "There was a heated argument between some students but most students are innocent, so we think college did a good thing by sending them to valley in order to avoid any clashes," said a parent. Officials said it was necessary to remove the students "as a precaution" as the situation was volatile. They said they feared the violence would spread to other parts of Meerut town, which is known to be communally sensitive.