Srinagar: Student protests continued in various parts of valley against the rape of a minor in Sumbal area of Bandipora district last week. The protesting female students expressed apprehensions about their safety on roads in view of the rising incidents of rapes in Valley.
The students of Women’s College MA road here staged peaceful protest against the rape of minor and demanded stern action against the rape accused. The students came out of their classes and assembled inside the campus demanding exemplary punishment against the accused.
The protesting students also expressed their concern over safety of girls on roads citing that girls are not now getting raped because they have adopted Westernisation or wearing modernised dresses but have become soft targets of the ‘beats’ and get raped.
“Now even minors are not spared in our valley. While government is probing Bandipora incident, another minor has been raped in Ganderbal which speaks volumes about the insecurity of the girls,” Sameena, a student told KNO.
On Tuesday, one youth was arrested for raping a minor in Ganderbal district while as police registered an FIR into the case as well. Meanwhile, Kashmir University (KU) students also staged peaceful protests against the rape incident and said the chastity of minors should not be used by politicians to garner votes. The students were demanding exemplary punishment against the rape accused and said the government should not hesitate to conduct a fair probe into the incident.
“Neither this incident should be politicised nor the government should shield the culprits, the victim should get the justice for which the investigations of the case should get expedited,” the protesting students said. Meanwhile, massive clashed erupted in Amar Singh College and Bemina Degree College Srinagar after police tried to prevent students from taking out protest march on roads.
An eyewitness told KNO that the students of Amar Singh College assembled inside the campus to protest against the rape incident and also tried to took out a march outside the college campus.
“But the Police deployed in the area didn’t allow them to go out on road which triggered clashed in the area. Students resorted to stone pelting and Police lobbed tear gas shells inside the college campus creating chaos in the campus,” an eyewitness said.
Also, clashes erupted outside Bemina Degree College between students and JK Police after the campus erupted in massive protest. The Police didn’t allow the students to move outside the campus triggering clashes in the area. The clashes last for more than half an hour.
The students of Government Degree College Kangan also staged a peaceful protest against the rape of minor in Sumbal. Students assembled inside the campus and took a peaceful march on road to register their protest and later dispersed off peacefully. Students of Boniyar higher secondary school also staged peaceful protest against the Sumbal rape incident.(KNO)