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“They abused us, even grabbed my friend’s hair and hands and started harassing us physically. We had to run from our room and leave the hostel; my friend’s chappal (sandal) was left behind in the room,” said a woman student
By Umer Farooq and Ilhak Tantray
In the wake of the gruesome killings of 26 tourists and a local Muslim in Baisaran Valley of Pahalgam, hundreds of miles away, mass exodus of Kashmiri students from colleges and universities across India is unfolding.
Faced with harassment, assault, and open threats, in at least 17 incidents targeting Kashmiri students, hundreds of them were forced to leave their exams mid-semester and return to their homeland.
Across Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, reports have emerged of Kashmiri students being attacked, harassed, and forced out from their hostels and rented homes in the aftermath of the Pahalgam violence. The assaults, students say, are often accompanied by anti-Kashmiri slurs, physical violence, and calls for them to “go back” to Kashmir.
The ripple effect of the attack on April 22 has exposed deep societal fissures, raising serious questions about the safety of minorities, particularly Muslims, across India.
According to rough estimates, 700 students, mostly from Chandigarh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Delhi and Haryana, have already returned. Many others are contemplating to return, but issues of safety, while traveling back home, and their upcoming exams, are holding them back.
Safety First, a prime concern
Those who have returned are temporarily stepping away from their studies in the hope that the situation will normalise. Prioritising their safety, they will resume their education once the environment is secure, some of them told the Kashmir Times.
Haroon Rashid, a student at Rayat Bahra University, who returned on April 29, has witnessed the incidents of assault, though he was not assaulted. “After that I made up my mind to return, but the choice wasn’t easy. I will not be able to sit for my exams.” Back home, however, he feels relieved. Also, the college authorities have assured that the exams will be delayed for Kashmiri students until the situation stabilizes.
Kashmiris stuck outside bear the brunt
While some students have returned home, many students are still dealing with the daily threats outside the Valley. Some of them said that they are trying to protect themselves by not stepping out of their hostels or residences, not even to attend classes.
Majid Mir, a student from the City Group of Institutions, said, “We stayed back because of our exams but we are putting our lives at risk.” Another student said that mostly those in their final semesters are not leaving.
“We have come here to study. We are against violence too. Why are we being made to suffer?” said a Kashmiri student studying in Chandigarh University. He was assaulted while visiting his brother in Punjab’s Kharar area.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, he recounted being attacked near a flyover by a group of men. “They threw stones at me and hit me on the nose with a stick. They shouted, ‘We will finish you all.’”
The attack lasted nearly ten minutes until a bystander intervened, allowing the youth to escape. Despite assurances from Punjab authorities, the students remain rattled. “Now, we barely step out of our residence. We feel completely unsafe,” the student’s brother added.
Across India, the story repeats with chilling regularity, triggering fear.
At Saraswati Group of Colleges in Mohali, Zakir War, a Kashmiri student, described the sharp shift in campus life. “Before the attack, we lived peacefully together, played, ate, and enjoyed each other’s company. But, now, the behaviour of students from other Indian states has changed drastically,” he said.
“We are being called terrorists and sympathisers of militants. We don’t feel safe anymore. It’s a threat to our lives. I and other students just want to go home.”
“The college authorities are providing security for Kashmiri students only up to Pathankot, but we need it until we reach Kashmir,” Zakir added, referring to the vulnerability of Kashmiris in Jammu region.
Choice between hunger and being attacked
Kashmiri students have been afraid to even buy food. “We stayed hungry for two days as we avoided going outside. When we finally went out in the evening to buy vegetables, a car with an HR (Haryana) registration stopped near us and the men inside started abusing us,” he recalled.
Despite filing a police complaint, Zakir said the authorities showed little urgency. “They asked about the car but didn’t take the issue seriously. When the men (in the car) tried to attack us with batons, we had to run away.”
Hashim, a student in Saraswati College, echoes a dilemma that many are going through. “Parents are crying on the phone. They ask us to leave our studies and come home,” he said. “We don’t want to leave immediately, but the harassment is becoming unbearable, even going outside is dangerous,” he said.
With final exams approaching or ongoing, the students pleaded with their colleges for special consideration. “We asked the authorities to postpone the exams or conduct special exams for Kashmiri students. They assured us of support,” said Hashim.
“We will continue our studies only if we reach home safely. Until then, no studies over life,” another student said, sobbing. “The biggest fear is not knowing when the next attack will happen. They are beating up students and carrying weapons,” he said. “We are not asking for extraordinary measures. We just want to go home safely. We request the government and activists to help us.”
100 students waiting to go back
Faisal Ahmad, a student from Baramulla, compiled a list of more than 100 students, who want to leave their college in Mohali Punjab. “About 30 to 40 students decided to stay because they live inside hostels where security was tightened. But students living in private flats feel helpless. We are more vulnerable,” he said.
“The college has not restricted anyone. Those who want to leave can leave. Those of us living outside the hostel have no security. In the past, during the Pulwama attack crisis, colleges arranged buses to evacuate Kashmiris. This time, no help is being provided,” said Faisal.
Basharat Maqbool shared his experience. “I and other students from Kashmir do not feel safe. On 25 April, in the evening, while I was out to buy food, a group of people warned me not to come out after 6 pm because I am Kashmiri. They said anything could happen to me,” he said.
“Out of 100 students enrolled in SLIET college, 60 per cent have gone home. The situation is so tense that the remaining students have been attacked by students from other states,” said Basharat. “Even a female teacher, Tabish, who is from Kashmir, was brutally abused and harassed last night near her residence in White Tower. She feels insecure living there now. “We feel trapped and depressed. We just want to go home. We can study again, but we cannot risk our lives.”
‘We Are Not Terrorists’
Another female student from Kashmir said in a video on Live Hindustan Channel: “When we were returning to our hostel from Chandigarh University, some local goons attacked us, abused and threatened us, using derogatory language. We narrowly escaped from those goons… After a few hours, when we were sitting in our hostel in the evening, some local goons knocked on our door. When I opened the door, they started threatening and harassing me and my friend, calling us ‘terrorists’ and telling us to ‘go back to Kashmir’.”
“They abused us, even grabbed my friend’s hair and hands and started harassing us physically. We had to run from our room and leave the hostel; my friend’s chappal (sandal) was left behind in the room,” she added.
“We were finally rescued by the local Sikh community,” she added
In Delhi, Fazal, a student at the Drishti IAS Academy, said he constantly feels the weight of suspicion in public spaces. “Conversations with friends and family reveal a shared concern about our safety and the potential for hostility,” he said.
“The unease is growing. My parents are urging me to come home. If things escalate, I will have to leave. Our well-being must come first,” he said.
The attacks on students have spread to Nagpur, Maharashtra. On April 24, Mohammad Waseem, a pharmacy student from Doda district, was viciously beaten by a group of men. He was struck repeatedly on his face, back, neck and arms.
“Two or three mobs assaulted me without reason. They punched my face, stomach, and knees. I couldn’t even run away. It was heart-breaking and terrifying,” Waseem said.
Open calls for revenge
The violence has been stoked by open calls for retribution against Kashmiris. In Dehradun, Uttarakhand, a chilling video was circulated showing Lalit Sharma, a leader of the Far-Right Hindu Raksha Dal, threatening to hunt down Kashmiri Muslim students if they did not leave the city by 10am the next day.
“We refuse to rely on the government anymore,” Sharma declared on camera. “Kashmiris must leave.”
In Uttarakhand’s Arni University, and in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, Kashmiri students alleged that hostel doors were broken down and students dragged out of their rooms. In Prayagraj, UP, Kashmiri students were forced to vacate their rented accommodations overnight under pressure from landlords. “Some of us spent the night at the airport, too afraid to stay back after the forcible eviction,” one student said.
Women not spared
At Jamia Millia Islamia University in Delhi, a female Kashmiri student was sexually harassed near campus entrance Gate No. 8. She said, “He touched me inappropriately and fled the scene.” This incident occurred between 9.30 and 9.45pm. The assault took place in the presence of campus security personnel, who failed to take any action, she alleged.
In response, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) at Jamia Millia Islamia issued a statement condemning the incident. They criticised the inaction of campus security and emphasized the ongoing neglect in safeguarding students, particularly those from marginalised and minority backgrounds.
Brutality inside hostels
At Universal Group of Institutions in Derabassi, Punjab, Owais from Sopore spoke about a midnight assault inside the hostel on April 24. “A group stormed into the hostel with sharp weapons. Our clothes were torn, belongings destroyed, and one student was seriously injured,” he said. Security staff allegedly failed to intervene. “We called for help, but the Punjab Police didn’t arrive in time. Many of us are terrified now,” he said.
With over 100 Kashmiri students enrolled at the institution, many now fear for their safety. “After the recent attack, things became volatile. I moved to a girls’ college to avoid harassment,” a female student revealed.
“The anxiety hit hard. We shared emergency numbers among ourselves. Some friends unfriended me, punishing me for my identity,” she said. “As a visibly Muslim woman, I try to hide my Kashmiri identity. I tell people I grew up abroad.”
She continued: “Parents call constantly, asking me to come home. If the situation gets worse, I will have no choice.”
“The narrative about Kashmir and Kashmiris after the Pahalgam attack must change. Speaking out is dangerous, but silence is worse,” she added.
After the Pahalgam attack, we received flood of distress calls from Kashmiri students studying across India — from Haryana, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and even Jammu, said Nasir Khuehami, National Convener, J&K Students Association.
Number of reported attacks high
The number of reported incidents involving Kashmiri students is high, but despite a decrease in frequency compared to the early days of the attack, violence against these students continues unabated.
“During our meeting with opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, we shared these painful realities. We urged him to raise our voices before the prime minister and home minister to stop such incidents from happening again,” Khuehami added.
“On 27 April, I have been told that, Home Minister Amit Shah has issued clear directives to all chief ministers and DGPs, urging them to prioritize the safety and security of Kashmiri students. He stressed that any individual or group attempting to instill fear, insecurity, or hostility towards these students will face strict consequences,” he said.
Soon after the attack, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, posted on X, “The J&K government is in touch with the governments of the states where these reports are originating from. I am also in touch with my counterpart chief ministers in these states and have requested they take extra care.”
However, Khuehami says that such interventions are “mere photo ops” and they have not resulted in anything tangible. Attacks are continuing, he said. “On April 30, I received a call in the afternoon about students being assaulted, highlighting that the attacks have not ceased and remain a persistent threat,” Nasir said.
The Kashmir Times spoke to several students still stuck outside Kashmir. They continue to feel extremely vulnerable and some among them are weighing the odds of returning home.
“Safety is the only priority,” said Basharat. “We came here for a better future. Now, we only want to survive.”
Lead Photo and report courtesy Kashmir Times.
https://kashmirtimes.com/news/kashmiri-students-abandon-studies-or-live-in-fear