SRINAGAR: Over 40 people were arrested by the West Bengal Police in connection with 22 incidents of attacks on Kashmiri students in the state. “Some outsiders are indulging in attacks on Kashmiris. We will take strong action against them. So far 22 such incidents have taken place across the state in which 40 people have been arrested,” said Siddhnath Gupta, ADG, Law and Order.
“We are seriously looking into the matter. We have been able to locate certain people. We will take stern action against them,” said Kolkata Police Commissioner Anuj Sharma. The arrests come after the Supreme Court directive to the Chief Secretaries and Police Commissioners of all states and Union Territories to take “prompt action” in order to prevent incidents of “assault, threat, social boycott and such other egregious acts” against Kashmiris, especially students, and other minorities in the wake of the Pulwama attack on February 14.
On Friday, the SC bench had issued notices to the Centre and 10 states namely Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Punjab and Maharashtra, and sought their reply over reported incidents of threat and violence against Kashmiris in the last one week in these states.
“The chief secretaries, directors general of police of all the states and Union Territories including the commissioner of police, Delhi, are directed to take prompt and necessary action to prevent incidents of assault, threat, social boycott and such other egregious acts against the Kashmiris, including students enrolled with the institutions in the respondent states and union territories, and other minorities in the wake of the attack dated 14.2.2019,” said a bench of Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna.
Meanwhile, the Home Ministry has assured that the Union Government has been taking adequate steps to ensure the safety and security of Kashmiri students residing outside the state, and any grievances relating to incidents of threat or assault can be reported on a specific number.