Three people have been arrested for allegedly attacking two Kashmiri students in Haryana's Mahendragarh district on Friday. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had earlier urged the Haryana government to initiate a probe into the incident.
According to police, they have been arrested on the basis of CCTV footage. "Three accused have been arrested and a few have been identified. Will make sure that proper investigation is done," Mahendragarh District Commissioner Garima Mittal was quoted as saying by ANI.
The attack took place when the students were returning to their Haryana Central University (HCU) campus after offering their evening prayers.
Read: Poor Kashmiri students promised jobs, duped and then threatened by local aviation institute
"Me and my friend had gone to the mosque to offer namaz yesterday (Friday). After we came out of the mosque, we noticed some people following us. Just as we were leaving on my motorbike, a group of 15-20 people started beating us," a Kashmiri student from HCU was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
The students were later taken to a local hospital and discharged within hours.
The student added that no one came forward to help them and that police arrived soon after the attackers fled the spot. "We went to the hospital for a check-up and returned to the university campus. We told faculty about the incident and lodged a complaint with the university," the student added.
An upset Mufti had tweeted: "Shocked and disturbed to hear reports of Kashmiri students being assaulted in Mahendargarh, Haryana."
Shocked & disturbed to hear reports of Kashmiri students being assaulted in Mahendargarh, Haryana. I urge the authorities to investigate & take strict action. @mlkhattar
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) February 2, 2018
The assault was also condemned by former J&K CM Omar Abdullah. Following the arrest of the attackers, Abdullah tweeted, "This hyper-nationalism built around the propaganda that all Kashmiris are terrorists & stone pelters will drive young Kashmiris further away from the national mainstream."
Students from our premier Agriculture University are detained & one is arrested. It seems one of their fellow passengers didn’t like traveling with a group of Kashmiris. https://t.co/2IkZIkxJXN
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) February 3, 2018
Earlier on Friday, Abdullah had tweeted over the incident which read, "This is terrible & goes against the spirit of what @PMOIndia @narendramodi ji said from the ramparts of the Red Fort. I hope the authorities in Haryana act quickly against this violence."
In regard to the assault, J&K Director General of Police (DGP) Shesh Paul Vaid is coordinating with his Haryana counterpart to make sure that the victims and other Kashmiri youth in the university are safe. "In touch with DGP Haryana. Police is taking cognisance of the incident," said DGP Vaid.
