Cricket quarrel: Varsity expels six more for cheering Pakistan

Delhi University defends the suspension of students.


Our Correspondent/news Desk March 10, 2014
Three of the Kashmiri students suspended from Swami Vivekanand Subharti University in Meerut. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

NEW DELHI:


Within days of the expulsion of Kashmiri students from a state university, another private university has followed suit and suspended six students for cheering Pakistan’s cricket team during last Sunday’s match in the Asia Cup, Indian media reports said on Sunday.


In this latest episode of bizarre suspensions, the fracas over the Asia Cup match has led to the expulsion of six students — four of them belonging to Indian Kashmir and two belonging to Aligarh.

The expulsions come after a tense week at the Sharda University hostel in Noida, a suburb of Delhi, where the Kashmiri students allegedly cheered for the Pakistan’s team during a televised match against India.

According to Times of India, trouble gripped the campus when a student cited the example of Swami Vivekan and Subharti University (SVSU) in Meerut, urging authorities to take similar action against four Kashmiri students for cheering Pakistan’s cricket team. Adding fuel to fire, the comment provoked students from both groups to mobilise supporters on campus resulting in heated confrontation.

Commenting on the issue, Ranvir Singh, students’ welfare dean, told the Times of India that the university had expelled the six students from the hostel to maintain discipline on campus premises.

“Some students cheered for the Pakistani team during the match, another group protested against this, but the matter was settled. On March 5, a student posted a provocative message on a social networking website on why the campus wasn’t witnessing a reaction similar to the one at Subharti University,” Singh said.

Following the incident, Sharda University started its own inquiry and suspended six students. An official of the university said that suspended students “may be considered for reallocation of hostels after 15 days.”

Meanwhile, Principal Resident Commissioner of Jammu and Kashmir (JK), K B Aggarwal has visited the campus of Sharda University on the directions of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to investigate the recent incident of suspensions.

Talking about the latest round of student suspensions, Aggarwal was quoted by Times of India, saying that “every step taken by the university is appropriate and unbiased. The varsity has accepted the apology of the students and assured that they will be comfortable in the campus and their career will run smoothly as always.”

Last week, 67 Kashmiri students from SVSU were sent home to Kashmir for allegedly celebrating India’s crushing defeat against Pakistan, a charge they have vehemently denied.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 10th, 2014.

 

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