New Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said all states must ensure the safety of Kashmiris in different parts of the country, condemning the alleged attack on students from Kashmir in Rajasthan's Chittorgarh on Wednesday.
The Home Minister said he had heard last night that "in one or two parts of India, people misbehaved with Kashmiri youth". According to reports, Kashmir students were harassed and beaten in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
"I appeal to Chief Ministers of all states to ensure that such incidents don't happen, they are equal citizens of India, they have also greatly contributed to national security," Mr Singh said, adding that he had asked the home secretary to put out an advisory.
"I appeal to all youngsters to treat them as their brothers, they are Indian citizens and members of our family," Mr Singh added.
Six Kashmiri students at the Mewar University of Chittorgarh were allegedly thrashed by a group of local people on Wednesday, the police said, adding that the trigger was not known.
The students received minor injuries in the attack and were discharged from a hospital after first aid, the police said.
The students were at the market, shopping for groceries, when they were allegedly approached by a group of about five who asked them to state their names and where they are from. "The group soon started beating them," police officer Dinesh Kumar said. The attackers have not been caught yet.
There are nearly 500 Kashmiri students and 300 from Jammu at Mewar University.
Last year, some Kashmiri students were attacked at the university over rumours that they cooked beef in their hostel room.
Recently, a series of videos from Kashmir were widely shared on social media and provoked sharp reactions. One showed a jawan being pushed and slapped by Kashmiris while he was leaving a polling station after the April 9 Srinagar by-poll. Another showed a Kashmiri man tied to the front of an army jeep as a human shield against stone-throwers.
