Students allege NIT muzzling festivals

The National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar is engaged in yet another showdown with its outstation students, as the administration has issued a notice regarding the Navratri event organised at the institute and students are alleging it has a communal ring to it.

In the notice, the Dean has alleged that while the Navratri festival was organised with "religious fervour", the ensuing 'Garba Night' involved drinking and DJ sets that "played only filmy songs instead of religious songs". Owing to this, "no such such event will be allowed in future", the notice reads.

However, students at the institute insist that the move was motivated by ulterior motives, as the college wanted to muzzle all Hindu festivals on the campus. "The same organising committee that the Dean has congratulated for the successful Navratri festival was the one that organised the latter event. How can they be heroes and villains at the same time? Basically, since the administration cannot straightaway muzzle Navratri, they have tried to circumnavigate the issue," said a student from UP, requesting anonymity.

Meanwhile, the braid-chopping controversy, which has sparked furious protests and a renewed efforts by separatists to rally people, has threatened to singe the campus too.

Some students allege that a few days ago, locals had jumped the boundary wall and accused the outstation students of being involved in chopping braids. The college, since then, has started fencing the boundary wall with severe restrictions imposed on the movement of students.

Registrar of the college, SA Mir, said, "Whatever has been done, it has been done to ensure that students remain safe. We don't want any stray incident to spark any controversy as in 2016.