Superintendent of Police (SP)-ranked officers have been asked to ensure the security of Kashmiri students studying in various districts of western Uttar Pradesh.
Meerut IG (Range) Alok Singh said on Tuesday: “There is a good presence of Kashmiri students in Meerut, Ghaziabad and Noida. We have appointed SP-level officers in each of the three districts who are in contact with colleges and universities. They will attend to any kind of security concerns.”
The development comes a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday proposed to scrap Article 370 of the Constitution which gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir and said the state will be split into two Union Territories: Jammu and Kashmir with an Assembly and Ladakh without one.
Meanwhile, the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has already issued an advisory to its Kashmiri students, asking them not to move out of the campus as a precautionary measure.
The AMU advisory was issued during a meeting of provosts on Monday, which was attended by Vice-Chancellor Tariq Mansoor also.
Around 700 Kashmiri students are currently enrolled for various courses at the AMU. However, with the new academic session having just begun, most of these students have not turned up yet.
A varsity official said: “The advisory is not in writing. It is more of a precaution keeping in view the security of students on the university campus. The Kashmiri students are being advised to stay in their hostels and avoid moving out for the time being.”
Aligarh District Magistrate C.B. Singh and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Aakash Kulhari visited various parts of the city on Monday night, especially the communally sensitive areas.
In Aligarh, Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel conducted a flag march and imposed Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which prohibits Assembly of five or more persons at a place in the city.
Meerut SSP Ajay Sahni said: “Several companies of the RAF and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) have been deployed in the city to tackle any law and order issue.”
An alert issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has asked all the states and Union Territories to put law enforcing agencies on maximum alert to pre-empt and prevent any breach of peace.
It also asked agencies to take special care and ensure the safety and security of residents, especially students of Jammu and Kashmir, living across the country.
