Dampening the mood: Holi turns blue for students celebrating in Jamshoro

Students of Sindh University greeted with baton charge by law enforcing agencies.

JAMSHORO:

Students of Sindh University were greeted with baton charge by law enforcing agencies on Tuesday when they were celebrating Holi on campus. Six students were held by the Jamshoro police but were later released.

Students came out from their hostels and held a protest against the attack by police and Rangers. They demanded that the law enforcing agencies “who could not tolerate cultural activities” should be removed from campus.

Students Vishnu Das, Indar Kumar, and Asad Jamali told Sindh Express that police and Rangers started the baton charge while students of different departments were celebrating Holi. “First police and Rangers beat up students in the campus and then they conducted raids at hostels. Later, six students were held,” said Kumar.

Kumar, Das, Jamali, Daulat Ram, Daulat Kumar and Vishan Das were held and were released later.

“We were participating in the festivities of our Hindu friends when they [police and Rangers] attacked us for no reason,” said Shahnawaz Bhutto. “It is an unbearable attitude and the administration doesn’t interfere when students are treated this way,” he alleged.

According to the police, students of different political and nationalist parties were disturbing the university’s environment.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 28^th, 2013.